Carriers enabled to sell their fastest data plans to iPhone owners

Sep 8, 2012 11:21 GMT  ·  By

The new iPhone launching next week will offer a more advanced LTE standard than the one currently offered by the third-generation iPad, according to people familiar with the matter cited by the Wall Street Journal.

The WSJ reports that “Apple Inc.’s next iPhone will work on the fastest wireless networks around the world—including in the U.S., Europe and Asia—though it is unlikely to be available on every carrier, people familiar with the matter said.”

Support for global LTE will give Apple a huge leg up in the fierce battle for smartphone supremacy, the sources said. The main benefit is that carriers will get a chance to sell their fast data services to the millions of iPhone customers in their region.

If all this turns out to be true, the iPhone 5 will be the first Apple smartphone to support the 4G standard.