Update: Apple has recently announced the iPhone 5, which will be the biggest and fastest version yet.
With Verizon, AT&T and Sprint all selling the Apple iPhone, T-Mobile is the last of the four largest carriers in the U.S. to not run the handest on its network. However a new report claims that the technical hurdle preventing T-Mobile from offering the successful smartphone could be cleared in the next generation iPhone.
According to T-Mobile?s chief technology officer, Neville Ray, the carrier was never able to support the iPhone due to the unique AWS band of spectrum it was using, which would have forced Apple to incorporate special equipment in the phone to ensure proper connection.
Yet, Ray claims to have seen Apple?s roadmap for the upcoming device and knows that the iPhone 5 chipset will include AWS connectivity. However, this doesn?t guarantee that T-Mobile will offer the next generation Apple handset, as T-Mobile has expressed that it is in no rush to pursue its own 4G LTE network and the new AWS capability is likely to support the high-speed connectivity. The carrier plans to further improve its HSPA+ network, which it calls 4G, and free up space on AWS for future LTE development.
While Verizon and AT&T experienced a surge in sales in the wake of the iPhone 4S release, T-Mobile CEO Philip Humm admitted the lack of the popular smartphone has hindered the carrier?s ability to retain subscribers, specifically high-value contract holders. Though T-Mobile has expressed interest to Apple in the past, the company has seen little response from the Cupertino corporation. Perhaps the addition of AWS support in the upcoming iPhone will be the catalyst the T-Mobile needs to finally offer the device.

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