In a report on MarketWatch, China Mobile states that it has reached a consensus with Apple regarding the use of 4G technology on future iPhones. The iPhone 4 currently uses 3G technology, 4G is the ‘next-generation’ technology for mobile data which promises even faster speeds.
Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile’s Chairman, didn’t specify many details about the agreement but says that they will be beginning 4G trials in China beginning next year and that discussions with Apple are continuing. Bloomberg today also got some additional details from Jianzhou, but in that report, the consensus with Apple was not mentioned.
The company may also be able to offer Apple Inc. (AAPL)s iPhone with the shift to TD-LTE, Wang said. While Apple has decided not to make a version of the phone for the third-generation TD-SCDMA system that is used only by China Mobile, the Cupertino, California-based company may produce one for the TD-LTE system, he said.
It follows yesterday’s report from DigiTimes that this year’s iPhone was originally meant to have LTE capability (a 4G technology) but was scrapped after it was discovered Qualcomm was having problems producing chips in large enough quantities. In that report it was said that China Mobile was expected to reach a deal with Apple soon to offer the next iPhone on it’s network this year – contradicting the Bloomberg report.
[Via MacRumors]