BGR reports that Apple seems to be testing a 4G LTE-enabled iPhone with carriers, as confirmed by a special internal carrier test build of iOS carrying a property list file for LTE compatibility.
While we can’t authenticate that the forthcoming fifth-generation iPhone will be able to support 4G LTE, we can now exclusively confirm that iPhone models with LTE capability are being tested by Apple’s carrier partners. BGR has gotten hold of evidence of an internal iOS test build from one of Apple’s key carrier partners, and buried in the firmware is a property list for LTE.
The iPhone 5 is likely to support HSPA+ technology for GSM networks, which is being marketed by many carriers as “4G”, but carriers are also commencing their rollouts of 4G LTE networks that will bring even quicker data speeds. Apple has pointed out, however, that it has been averse to adopt LTE technology so far due to a lack of suitable chipsets, with size, power and other issues forcing design compromises that Apple has been denying to make.
