The Korea Times says Apple is rumored to be in talks with SK Telecom about launching an LTE-Advanced phone later this year. LTE-A is capable of theoretical download speeds reaching 150Mbps, which is double that of basic LTE.
Citing an unnamed executive with SK Telecom, the report said that Apple is in the midst of negotiations with the carrier. Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the only device to take advantage of the LTE-A standard with SK Telecom.
LTE-A is capable of theoretical download speeds reaching 150Mbps, which is double that of basic LTE. The executive cited in the story reportedly said there is “no reason” for Apple not to adopt LTE-A with its next iPhone.
LTE-A functionality on the next iPhone is thought to be possible because of new chipsets from Qualcomm. The company released a potential “global LTE” chip candidate in February.
The Qualcomm RF360 would enable an iPhone that supports all 2G, 3G, 4G LTE and LTE Advanced networks. The new chipset would also add support for the obscure TD-SCDMA network used by the world’s largest carrier, China Mobile.
