The iPhone 5 will be broken down into 3 different LTE versions. The iPhone will not be a global phone like the iPhone 4s, but depending on location and carrier you will be able use to use different bands.
Apple’s iPhone 5 launch went down about as expected—a 4-inch screen, all aluminum and glass and thinner and lighter—but the real differentiator will be 4G LTE support and global coverage.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s marketing chief, took the stage in San Francisco and unveiled the iPhone 5. Naturally, the Apple exec touted how beautiful the device is but upgrades will largely be driven by speedier access.
To that end, Apple developed a single LTE chip that has one radio and a dynamic antenna. Apple touted “ultrafast wireless technology” and support for LTE, HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA. That alphabet soup basically means that the iPhone 5 will hop between the fastest networks available everywhere. The dual carrier HSDPA will cover Europe nicely.
The carrier support for LTE, 4G and HSPA+ will break down like this:
- U.S.: Sprint, AT&T and Verizon.
- Asia: Softbank, Smartone, Singtel, SK Telecom.
- Europe: Deutsche Telekom, EE.
- Australia: Telstra, Optus, Virgin Mobile.
[zdnet]
