A report indicates that VP of AT&T casually let it slim to AT&T retail employees that they should get ready for an early October launch of the iPhone 5. This happens to be the first time a major carrier executive has mentioned a possible timeframe for next generation iPhone release.

Expect things to get really, really busy in the next 35-50 days, so prepare your teams accordingly

This is what AT&T VP told employees a couple of days back confirming various sources that an iPhone 5 release is indeed slated for October 2011. The fact that AT&T has been an exclusive carrier of the iPhone for over 3 years makes us certain that is release date is legitimate.

As per the rumors we have seen and heard up till now, an iPhone 5 launch event is said to be held in the second week of September whereas shipment will start from October. We can trust word from AT&T as it is one of Apple’s closest partners and the two companies have been working together for quite a number of years now.

It is expected that the iPhone 5 will be thinner, tapered as well as radically lighter than all previous iPhones that we have seen. It is also expected that Apple will release a cheaper, cloud based iPhone at the iPhone 5 release event. However, we can’t be sure until and unless Apple comes forward with the official details.