All signs are pointing to yes. EETimes, reporting on Columbia law professor Timothy Wu's opinion paper scolding US cellular service providers, points out that Cingular asked Nokia to keep Wi-Fi off one of it's European model phones in order to sell it in America. Why? Carriers like Cingular and Verizon don't want you to make Skype VOIP calls (cheap long distance, no roaming and most of all, no billable airtime). And if you surf, you should be doing it on an expensive data plan, not your local coffee shop's free WiFi.
Could this mean Cingular nixed a would-be hot feature on the Apple iPhone? Most likely. And 
that's a shame. The iPhone is really a computer in disguise, and naturally people would have enjoyed using the touchscreen interface to surf the web on their home or neighborhood Wi-Fi network.
Wu's paper calls on the service providers to allow any device to connect. This would lead to cameras that can transfer files in realtime over the cellular airwaves, for example.
Skype has filed a petition with the FCC to open up the networks to third party software and hardware. Unfortunately, no handset makers signed on, most likely not wanting to jeopardize their carrier relationships. Don't be surprised if Steve Jobs chimes in down the road if the iPhone takes off. Apple loves to introduce new model products aggressively, and adding Wi-Fi to the second generation iPhone would be a quick hit. Steve isn't shy about nudging the establishment to more open standards, as he's demonstrated with his anti-DRM open letter in February.
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