It is being claimed that new smartphones that use 4G networks will eventually account for around five percent of global shipments this year, and according to a report on AppleInsider this will be helped by the iPhone 5. There could be between 25 and 30 million units shipped this year, and while LTE handsets only make up a small portion of sales presently, this is expected to change once the iPhone 5 is released.

Currently the Android platform has the LTE smartphone market almost to itself, even though there are a couple of Windows Phone devices available from the likes of HTC and Nokia. But Apple and even RIM are set to enter the fray this year with new models in the second half of 2012.

This comes after we told you about a possible iPad 3 with LTE compatibility going into production last week, which is believed to be launching this March. It is thought the next version of the iPhone could come around the same time of year as the iPhone 4S, and launched around October.

Even Sprint are looking to port over to a 4G LTE network as they recently revealed their first 4G devices, the Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper. Some countries such as the UK have yet to rollout a 4G network so there will still be a need for 3G devices being made available for these regions.

Is 3G data speeds fast enough for you?

Many believe that the new iPad will become available in March, and a report on Bloomberg is claiming that it will have a new HD display with a faster processor. It is also being claimed that the iPad 3 will use a quad-core chip, which will allow users to switch even quicker between applications.

Just like a similar rumor recently about the iPhone 5 the new iPad could be compatible with LTE technology. To cope with this the next iPad is believed to feature a bigger battery so will be able to cope with the newer technology.

Production of the new device is thought to have begun at the beginning of this month, with plants working 24/7 in China. It will temporarily stop over the Chinese New Year Holiday this month, before starting back up to hit its peak in February.

The new iPad will be the first major new hardware release since the passing of former CEO Steve Jobs, and present chief Tim Cook will be looking for the device to see off the increased competition Apple is now seeing in the tablet PC market.

According to a report on Cnet, Verizon wants all future handsets released on the carrier’s network to support 4G LTE technology. When the iPhone was first released in the US AT&T had exclusive access to the iPhone, but since Verizon managed to get hold of it they have seen massive sales of the device. So surely there is no way the carrier would set these requirements without the knowledge of such a device coming from Apple this year.

It has been reported before that Apple wasn’t going to release an all new iPhone until LTE technology had progressed enough to fit into Apple’s requirements. The next generation of LTE chip sets should be available in the next few months, which are smaller than current units but are also less demanding with regards to power.

Verizon are also planning on supporting the Windows Phone platform in the future as well according to Keith Lampron, Verizon’s associate director of device marketing. Verizon has been steaming ahead of the competition with LTE, buying up spectrum and releasing some great smartphones. The carrier is also confident to have completed its LTE network by the end of next year.

AT&T and Sprint are also pushing their own LTE networks that will turn the heat up on Verizon as it expands its network. If Apple does release a LTE iPhone 5 sometime this year, there will be even more consumers clambering to get hold of the handset.

Are you hoping for a LTE iPhone 5 this year?

Regulator Ofcom has revealed in its draft annual plan for 2012/2013 its thoughts on the future for 4G networks in the UK. According to Cnet there is no chance of any such networks next year, and should start rolling out in 2013 and 2014, but will not be cover most of the country until 2015.

This will disappoint many consumers looking enviously at their US cousins who are already receiving. A 4G network will also be used to provide internet access to more rural locations where currently any service is patchy at best.

Auctions are expected to begin for 4G spectrums in 2013 now after originally being scheduled for next year, even though Ofcom are still hoping to start these next year if possible. We reported before that UK carrier O2 had begun testing a 4G network in various locations in London. This followed BT and Everything Everywhere starting similar trials down in Cornwall.

Whatever happens it could be a good three years before there is any reliable 4G service rolled out to UK customers. The auction is likely to cost carriers huge amounts just like it did when the 3G spectrums were sold off. The UK is even lagging behind fellow European states with regards to 4G networks, but will come eventually.

Will you be glad to have access to 4G or you happy with the data speeds you get now?

According to an article on AppleInsider a Japanese carrier, NTT DoCoMo is negotiating with Apple for a release of an LTE supported iPad by the summer of 2012. It is claimed that this will be followed by a new iPhone with the same technology around the autumn, which will be around a year after the iPhone 4S.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is reported to have met with executives from the carrier in the US last month, and started talks for the sale of LTE capable iPads and iPhones. There were previous reports that had claimed talks between the two companies had stalled, which was put down to the carrier wanting to install proprietary apps in the iPhone.

President and Chief Executive of NTT DoCoMo, Ryuji Yamada, stated it was a problem for the company to provide the iPhone because of commitment requirements, and the control Apple has over the iOS platform. Now though it is being reported that Yamada visited the US to meet with Cook about a possible partnership with the future LTE hardware from Apple.

There has been much speculation in the past about 4G LTE hardware coming from Apple in the future. Back in October we reported the iPhone 5 would come with 4G LTE compatibility. Current technology has been claimed to have delayed any release of the iPhone 5, but new LTE chips are coming next year that are not only smaller have lower power demands as well.

Gizmodo UK are reporting that O2 is to start to trial the technology in central London after putting up more than 25 4G masts in the area. Covering a total of forty square kilometers the trial will run until June next year using the 2.6GHz spectrum band. This has been approved by Ofcom ahead of next year’s expected 4G spectrum auction in the country.

Chief Executive Officer of Telefónica UK, Ronan Dunne, who are O2s parent company said “Today’s launch of the UK’s first 4G London trial network demonstrates our commitment to delivering 4G to our customers at the earliest opportunity”.

Dunne continued by saying that the company was getting the foundations ready for when its 4G network finally launches in the UK. There will be around 1,000 people taking part in the trail, and will be provided with 4G dongles to access the 4G service.

We have reported before that many parts of the UK still can’t receive a reliable 3G signal, as the carriers concentrate on areas of the country where they can see a return on the massive investment made when 3G licenses were auctioned off. It is not thought a 4G service will be provided before 2013 in the UK with auctions taking place towards the end of next year.

The cheapest smartphone which Verizon will sell you with 4G LTE connectivity is the LG Revolution, this boasts a 1Ghz Snapdragon processor, a 5 megapixel camera and 4.3-inch display (full specs here), therefore it would be fair to say that any smartphone less impressive than this will come in at a lower price – we think the Pantech Breakout LTE could fit into this category nicely.

Previous Pantech devices have been regarded as “cheap and cheerful”, which is by no means a bad thing, according to BGR the Pantech Breakout LTE will feature a 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 4-inch display and a 5 megapixel camera – as you can see the specs are mediocre so we don’t expect a high price tag, that said this device will be capable of sharing its 4G connection with up to 10 devices over WiFi.

No price has been confirmed yet, but we really think that the Pantech Breakout LTE will be a cheap solution for those of you want 4G connection sharing capabilities at an affordable price, we will have to wait for official pricing information before we can confirm this – but if sources are correct it show up pretty soon. Below we have embedded a couple of images which give us a glimpse of the Pantech Breakout LTE – we think that the design looks OK for a mid-end device, how about you? (Image sourced from PocketNow)

It will be interesting to see if a cheaper 4G LTE smartphone sells well, we think it is ideal for those of you who want a relatively basic smartphone which can beam out its 4G connectivity to WiFi devices – will you buy the Pantech Breakout LTE? Hopefully we will hear more about this smartphone soon, when we do we will keep you posted.

It has been discovered by 9 to 5 Mac that carriers are testing LTE iOS in some shape or form, but Apple also has references to LTE in the iOS 5 field-test application. This may mean that the company has a number of LTE devices, which could be iPod Touches, iPads as well as iPhones.

The devices may actually be out on field tests instead of just in Apple’s development center with fully working units. Any devices would be working using the current carrier band spectrum, which run from 1.4 MHz through to 20 MHZ. There are field test application references that hint at LTE SIM cards, which will mean that the test devices are advanced enough to already support SIM cards.

If the company is testing such devices out in the field it could mean it is on iOS 5 devices, which is not only the next iPhone but the iPod Touch and maybe even the iPad 3. Being a bigger device would allow Apple to get more components into it, and have LTE without damaging battery life too much. Apple’s Tim Cook has said in the past that LTE would mean too many design changes that the company was unwilling to make.

We have already told you that Apple is reportedly getting ready to launch the next iPad early next year. The device would be ideal for the company to launch LTE as both AT&T and Verizon continue to grow their LTE networks. Another factor for the iPad 3 to have LTE is the upcoming Qualcomm MDM9615 chip. It is designed to support multiple platforms as is expected to be available towards the end of this year.

There are many potential customers of the iPhone 5 who would like it to have LTE, but may be left disappointed. Unless when Tim Cook said a while back that Apple would be going through a “major product transition” in September he meant an iPhone with LTE. Another concern for many though is battery life on an LTE device, which is a problem which has plagued some Android handsets already. But knowing Apple they may have already come up with a solution for this problem.

Are you hoping for LTE in the next iPhone?

One of the biggest features wanted in the next iPhone by some people is 4G LTE compatibility, but we have seen many arguments for and against the technology reaching the iPhone 5 recently. Now according to BGR.com some of Apple’s carrier partners are testing various iPhone models containing the technology.

While it must be stressed that it may not make its way on to the next iPhone, if reports of testing are true it can’t be much longer before an iPhone being able to work on global 4G networks becomes available. The site backs up the claims by pointing to evidence of an internal iOS test build acquired from one of Apple’s biggest carrier partners.

Buried in the iOS firmware is a property list file for LTE, and while this doesn’t mean Apple devices are about to get a built-in 4G LTE radio it shows the company are looking at the technology. The technology is starting to gather pace as networks in the US and across the world begin to expand. Trouble is with some current 4G handsets battery life can become a big issue.

Apple won’t want to follow the likes of HTC and have handsets plagued with poor battery life, for the sake of quicker data. Many consumers are already happy with data speeds now, but wouldn’t want a handset which needed charging every few hours. With Apple though you can never really tell what surprises they may have lined up for future product releases.

Something’s that are expected to come in the next version of the iPhone include the A5 processor, as well as a better camera and a possible larger display. We recently told of a possible Apple event being held on September 7th, so it may be only a few weeks now before the next iPhone is making an appearance.

Are you bothered about having 4G LTE support with the iPhone 5?

This is not just an isolated issue, as it seems that the Thunderbolt performed faster 80 percent of the time compared to its rival. To give you an idea of these speeds IntoMobile learned from Root Metrics that downloads speeds for the Thunderbolt were 16.7 Mbps, while the Charge could only manage 11.4 Mbps.

Having said that, even the lower download speed is acceptable, but how can there be such a difference, as they were both tested in Seattle? Let us not get too ahead of ourselves here, as both handsets have their good and bad points. Yes the HTC handset is much faster on 4G LTE, but the Samsung smartphone has a much better battery, which for some is more important.

The HTC has not been without its issues; first it was hit with a huge delay, then next there were reports of bricked handsets due to a radio leak. Thankfully this was only an isolated case and has been proving very popular for HTC.

Are you concerned between the 4G LTE differences in download speeds?