Speculation: Apple Working On LTE for the iPhone

Could Apple possibly be working on implementing LTE technology into the next iPhone? LTE (Long Term Evolution) is a new wireless data technology that is supposed to offer higher peak throughputs and better data performance. Following 3G, LTE is the next stage in the evolution of wireless data technologies.

A new Apple job posting hints that the company is looking to implement LTE into their iOS platform. While LTE knowledge has been part of other Apple job requirements, this specific job listing is the first time that LTE has been called a “specific duty.”

This job listing is not necessarily empirical proof that Apple will implement LTE in the near future, but it’s definitely a strong indication of Apple’s roadmap for iOS…

Some of the full time “iOS Cellular Protocol SW Engineer” position’s duties are described by Apple as being,

– Implementation, Integration, customization, enhancement and maintenance of L1-3 Protocols for one or more of the following air interface: GSM/UMTS, CDMA (1x/EVDO), LTE etc.
– Carrier specific features implementation

9to5 Mac speculates about this new job posting,

“Apple’s job listings are usually a good indication of what’s to come, and Apple listing the integration of LTE in their iOS devices as a specific duty, is definitely an indication that they are building and potentially planning to sell devices with an LTE 4G data connection. Many were surprised that Apple’s CDMA-version of the iPhone does not support LTE, but there is the possibility that a new iPhone in June will support this technology.”

It’s a little far-fetched to say that the iPhone 5 will be LTE compatible, especially if this engineer position has not yet been filled. Apple has never been a company to quickly adopt technologies that are not of its own creation. (It took them years to implement cut and paste into iOS, etc.)

I wouldn’t get your hopes up for an LTE iPhone 5. It’s more realistic to assume that the iPhone 5 will have universal baseband compatibility for CDMA and GSM. However, it’s safe to speculate that LTE will be a huge part of Apple’s iOS roadmap for next year.

What do you think? Is it probable that the iPhone 5 will be compatible with LTE?