The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that as of June 1st, AT&T will nearly double the early termination fee for customers on smartphone contracts such as for the iPhone, going from $175 to $325. The change, which would apply only to new contracts, appears set to come just prior to the launch of a new iPhone.

I wonder if this means that Apple is getting a larger subsidy for the new phone than before. Maybe the costs of these gen-next devices are such that AT&T is taking a smaller share of the rev, but protecting themselves against cancellations, while keeping the subsidized price of phones relatively stable. Or, they could just be huge d-bags.