iPhone 5 here in the PH will initially have no LTE connection?
I had a very interesting discussion earlier on Twitter about the upcoming launch of the iPhone 5 here in the Philippines. Apparently there’s a chance that the iPhone 5 will not have LTE connectivity initially. According to this article on The Next Web, Apple needs to test the LTE network of telcos first before they let the phones connect to 4G. Here’s a quote from the article:
Swiss operator Swisscom admitted that was the case to mobile-focused website Telecoms.com, confirming an Apple policy that many had previously believed to be true. A Swisscom spokesperson told Telecoms.com that the company “only enables 4G access after testing their device on an operator’s live network.”
The confirmation comes after the carrier pushed live its LTE 4G networks this week, offering the iPhone 5 but not on the new networks. Apple simply needs to push an update to devices connected to the operator to make them 4G ready. It’s a policy that Apple likely employed with iPhone 5 units connecting to EE’s LTE network, which launched in the UK on October 30.
The good news is that Apple themselves will test the LTE network of the telcos. This means that we’re assured that it is the real deal. Also it will only take a software update to activate LTE. The phones themselves have LTE antenas.
Here’s the Twitter discussion that happened earlier this afternoon:
Of course there’s no way to find out yet if this is really the case in the Philippines. We will just have to wait until December 14 to find out (or when Smart and Globe make official announcements).
