Next iPhone Will Be LTE-Enabled, According To Verizon

iPhone 4S

When Apple unleashed their latest iPhone last year, the masses seemed a little perturbed that the device was still only 3G-capable. Rumors had been flying all around the net that a 4G iPhone was on the way, that it was a practical impossibility that Apple could stick to 3G with LTE all over the place. Leaked photos of Apple techs installing LTE equipment in AT&T and Sprint stores flooded the web, and we were not alone in speculating that perhaps it was true. A 4G iPhone was coming. And then it didn’t. But 2012 is a new year, and it’s more than likely that a newer, lighter, faster, thinner, and all-around better iPhone will be coming. And that iPhone will be LTE-enabled, if Verizon can be believed.

It’s CES, and tech companies from all over the world have gathered in Las Vegas to showcase their wares for the coming year. Among them are carriers, like Verizon, who are also announcing plans for the coming year. The big one, of course, is Verizon’s ever-expanding LTE network, which will complete it’s nationwide rollout by the end of 2013. They currently cover 190 markets and 200 million people with high-speed mobile access, far ahead of the competition. AT&T has just opened their LTE network, and Sprint is working on doing the same, debuting the Galaxy Nexus as their LTE flagship. Verizon’s big push in LTE over the Christmas season caused a few network outages, however, so even the big dogs have their bad days.

An announcement yesterday from Verizon has caught everyone’s ears, though, because it could very well mean an LTE iPhone is finally going to be a reality. According to Verizon, all smartphones on their network will now be LTE devices. That would seem to include the iPhone. The only exception, they note, will be phones on the push-to-talk network, which will still be 3G. However, Verizon said they will hold firm that LTE will be a hardware requirement for all smartphones that want a place on their network. Does that include Apple, though? [emphasis added]

If there is one company that, we believe, Verizon would give a pass to, it’s Apple. That’s because Apple has total ownership of their devices. They have the mentality of, “here’s our new phone. We will allow you to sell it if you do what we want”. And they usually get their way. Even though Verizon’s made it a requirement for all vendors to put LTE radios in their new devices, it could still be possible that Apple will simply laugh in their face and say, “Ok. Then you can’t sell our new iPhone”. Does Verizon want to join T-Mobile as the other major carrier with no iPhone 5? We don’t think so.