iPhone Carriers

Sprint's existing contract with Apple will make it possible for the wireless carrier to sell the next generation iPhone, widely expected to launch with LTE 4G connectivity. Reports that an LTE iPhone would cause problems for Sprint may have been exaggerated. Sprint's chief financial officer, Joe Euteneuer, told investors that LTE network development is underway.

Sprint expects to roll out LTE to six major markets by mid-2012, covering 100 million people in the US. Euteneuer said the process will continue until most major markets are covered by LTE this fall, which is when Apple is expected to launch the next iPhone. The remarks published in Dow Jones Newswires claims that Sprint will not be disadvantaged at all when compared to Verizon and AT&T.

The idea that SIM cards could disappear is looking less likely, as smartphone manufacturers RIM, Nokia and Apple have submitted competing proposals for a next-generation subscriber identity module. The European Telecommunications Standards Institutes (ETSI) has scheduled a vote to decide between the competing designs.

Apple's proposed nano-SIM card is pictured above from The Verge, inside the outline of a standard SIM card. When it comes down to it, the Apple design is much like current micro-SIM cards, except with less plastic around the edges. In contrast, both competing designs from Nokia and RIM are redesigned more like an SD card.

Everyone is looking forward to the super quick LTE capable iPhone 5 this fall, right? Maybe everyone except for wireless carrier Sprint. Unfortunately, word on the street is that Sprint faces problems, including possible bankruptcy should Apple launch the next generation device with LTE.

Problems for Sprint are already likely given the fact that Apple has shipped the new iPad with LTE, in both Verizon and AT&T flavors. Notice the lack of a third-generation iPad for Sprint. The main problem here outside of spectrum issues remains that Sprint's LTE network is coming online this year, putting the carrier behind its major rivals by a year and a half.

T-Mobile Chief Technology Officer Neville Ray announced that the carrier will "be compatible with a broader range of devices, including the iPhone" sometime next year. This means T-Mobile iPhone users will finally be able to enjoy 3G HSPA+ speeds once the company deploys its 4G network in 2013. This is very good news for the one million T-Mobile customers who are stuck accessing the carrier's slower EDGE network with unlocked iOS devices.

Chief Executive Officer and President Philipp Humm said he wants T-Mobile to be known for “4G services, 4G devices and a great 4G network," but added that the carrier is not interested in offering the iPhone until the "right terms” come along. U.S. Cellular also turned down the iPhone 4S in 2011 due to "Apple's unacceptable terms of business."

Hot on the heels of AT&T changing its tiered data plans once again, reports have surfaced regarding data throttling on unlimited plans. Although the unlimited option has been discontinued, some iPhone users are grandfathered into the plans and continue to enjoy no monthly limits on usage.

Only catch is that AT&T will start throttling data speeds when a threshold is reached, typically when a customer enters the top five percent of data usage. According to MacRumors this threshold has decreased significantly and now includes subscribers who have reached just 2GB of usage. This number is even lower than the 3GB tiered data plan costing $30 per month that was recently announced.