The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. Cellular will start selling Apple products this year. The company was the last major U.S wireless carrier to resist the popular iPhone, according to The Associated Press.

U.S. Cellular CEO Mary Dillon made the announcement Friday during a call with investors and analysts. The AP reports that Dillon didn’t say when U.S. Cellular will start selling Apple products or what particular models of the iPhone it will carry.

“We have a number of strategies in progress to increase loyalty and attract more customers, including our announcement today that we will begin offering Apple products later this year,” Dillon said in a statement. “By further strengthening our device portfolio, we’ll give consumers another great reason to switch to U.S. Cellular, and enable our existing customers to choose from an even wider variety of iconic smartphones, and enjoy the outstanding U.S. Cellular customer experiences they deserve.”

Apple Insider reports that Dillon told analysts at the end of 2011 that U.S. Cellular had decided against the idea of selling iPhones because of the initial cost, calling the investment “unacceptable from a risk and profitability standpoint.”

Now, the company is experiencing the consequences of deciding not to carry Apple products. The AP notes that in the last 18 months U.S. Cellular has seen 268,000 customers on contract-based plans jump ship because the company doesn’t offer the iPhone.

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. Cellular signed an agreement with Apple to purchase approximately $1.2 billion worth of iPhones over a three-year period starting later this year. Other wireless carriers, such as Sprint Nextel Corp., have made similar deals.

Apple Insider points out that T-Mobile made a similar announcement in December, saying it would start selling Apple products and, as promised, the iPhone 5 launched on T-Mobile in March.

Were or are you a U.S. Cellular customer? If you were, did you leave because the company didn’t carry the iPhone? Share your thoughts in the comments section.