Sprint Set to Join AT&T and Verizon as an iPhone 5 Carrier

According to a report issued today by the Wall Street Journal, Sprint will join AT&T and Verizon in offering iPhone handsets starting this fall with the launch of Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5 handset.

Sprint is currently the third-largest wireless carrier in the country, behind Verizon and AT&T respectively. With more than fifty million customers, Sprint represents a huge new market for Apple and its wildly-selling iPhone. After launching the first iPhone handset exclusively with AT&T, Apple has continually moved to add new carrier partners to continue its push to become the number-one smartphone manufacturer in the world.

Interestingly, the United States was the first country to receive Apple’s iPhone in 2007, but the last to drop carrier exclusivity which only happened in January of this year with the launch of the CDMA iPhone 4 handset on Verizon. The rumor mill has been speculating that Sprint and T-Mobile were possible new carriers that would be on board following the launch of the iPhone 5; this new report from a source as reputable as the Wall Street Journalseemingly confirms it. As T-Mobile is currently in merger negotiations with AT&T, it’s likely that subscribers will have access to the iPhone in the future anyway.

Sprint currently operates its cellular network using the same CDMA technology as Verizon. While this would indicate that Sprint should be able to sell the same iPhone 5 handsets as Verizon does, many reports suggest that Apple may do away with its multiple handsets instead offering a “world phone” capable iPhone 5 that can connect to nearly every cellular company’s network on the planet. A number of news outlets reported this week that app developers have seen an iPhone model like this one reported in app usage logs, so it’s likely that a single iPhone 5 handset will be offered to all of Apple’s carrier partners.

Receiving the hottest-selling smartphone on the planet couldn’t come at a better time for Sprint, a company that has seen its customers leaving in droves due to poor handset selection, and of course because they can’t get an iPhone. AT&T and Verizon have been quick to scoop up these lost customers; AT&T reported half-year sales of over 7 million iPhone handsets (iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4) through June 30, while Verizon sold about 4.5 million iPhone 4 handsets during the same time period.

Finally, a number of reports came out in the last day that suggest Apple may be planning to release a cheaper version of its iPhone 4 handset along with the next-generation iPhone 5 around the end of September. It’s currently unclear if this less-expensive handset would be offered to new carrier partners such as Sprint, or if it would only be offered to carriers that already sell the iPhone 4.

As usual, Apple had no comment surrounding the news that Sprint would be joining its huge family of carrier partners. As the clock ticks toward the inevitable launch of the next iPhone, we shall all see soon enough if today’s news is true.

iOS 5 Beta Hints at 4G LTE Support in iPhone 5 and iPad 3

Will 4G Long-Term Evolution (LTE) support be coming in Apple’s next-generation iPhone and iPad devices? While digging through the files in the recently-released sixth beta of Apple’s upcoming iOS 5 mobile operating system, some enterprising users have found hints that suggest that LTE support may be arriving to Apple’s devices soon.

Many have speculated that the iPhone 5 will launch with LTE support, as there are already a few Android handsets and tablets on the market that support LTE and Apple generally tries to lead and not follow with its new iPhone handsets. With Apple’s two main carrier partners AT&T and Verizon currently rolling out 4G LTE network coverage as fast as possible, users would likely flock to the iPhone 5 in droves if LTE support was an included feature. Verizon’s network is far more complete than AT&T’s, but it’s expected that the two companies will feature similar LTE coverage by next year.

Although the iPhone 5 is all but confirmed to be launching sometime in September or early October, Apple has yet to even confirm the existence of the device. Nothing is known about what the next-generation iPhone handset will deliver in terms of upgraded hardware or features; whether or not LTE had even been considered by Apple was unknown until the discovery of LTE settings in iOS 5 Beta 6.

As for the iPad 3, little is known about the device other than that it is likely to be released sometime in early 2012. With the launch of the next iPad still many months away, it’s almost certain that an LTE-capable version will be offered, as the major North American carriers will have their LTE networks fully rolled out by next spring. Another sign that LTE may be coming to the iPad is the recent speculation that Apple is set to allow its carrier partners to subsidize the cost of the iPad 3, similar to how the iPhone is subsidized. Customers will be considerably more willing to sign a one or two-year LTE data plan contract if they are able to save a few hundred dollars on the purchase price of their new iPad tablet.

Of course, it’s possible that the appearance of LTE settings in the recent iOS beta were simply included to aid Apple and its developer base in their testing. This is a common practice for mobile operating system developers, which generally have numerous prototype handsets in the field being tested at all times.

With Apple CEO Steve Jobs stepping down from his position today, we’re unlikely to hear much more about the iPhone 5, the iPad 3 or the possibility of 4G LTE support for at least a week or two. By then, we’ll be in to September and likely close to Apple’s fall event, where the iPhone 5 is expected to be announced and demoed. Until then, sit tight and keep your fingers crossed that Apple does decide to include support for the incredibly fast 4G LTE networks in the upcoming iPhone 5 handset.