Apple Is Negotiating LTE Support For iPhone 5 With Korean Carriers

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Everyone is patiently waiting for the arrival of the iPhone 5, but for those of us who can’t wait much longer, it’s good to know that we still have plenty of rumors running around. Most of these rumors are just supposed confirmations to “prove” that the rumors we’ve been hearing about the sixth generation iPhone are true, and the latest one is no exception.

Apple Is Negotiating LTE Support For iPhone 5 With Korean Carriers
Source: Pixabay

This was reported via the Korean Times, who states that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been in talks with Korean mobile carriers to get them on board, by providing LTE support.  The executives from SK Telecom and KT specifically asked not to be identified.

KT is supposedly negotiating terms with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), in hopes to finalize an agreement about using KT’s support for the 1.8 gigahertz frequency for the iPhone 5.

Both carriers are the only two that support Apple’s smartphone in Korea, and both of them want to support the iPhone’s new LTE feature. Unfortunately, this may prove to be a tough task, considering that 4G LTE is harder to support than 3G LTE, simply because the networks around the world utilize different frequencies.

For instance, in the United States, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ)? uses a 700-megahertz frequency, while AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) uses both 700-megahertz and 2.1GHz.  KT and SK Telecom also use different frequencies.

None of these reports are confirmed, and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has yet to acknowledge the iPhone 5.  It’s predicted that Apple will unveil their sixth generation smartphone on September 12 and subsequently release it on September 21.

If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) plans to utilize 4G LTE technology in this next phone, it definitely makes us wonder what took them so long to jump on the LTE bandwagon.  Last year, the company decided not to include the technology on their iPhone 4S, because of the inclusion of LTE connectivity in previous generations. Apparently, the first wave chipsets were a bit too power hungry for Apple’s liking.

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