A rumor Monday has suggested Apple might have a truly universal iPhone model for its 2011 update. Based on a "loose tip" and filling in gaps, BGR believed Apple might use not just use the anticipated dual-mode chipset but cover every major North American carrier with penta-band HSPA support. Recognizing five bands would let it work both on T-Mobile and AT&T with only a SIM card swap as well as support smaller Canadian carriers like Mobilicity, Videotron, and Wind Mobile.
Penta-band HSPA isn't new in the industry. Most of Nokia's modern Symbian phones, such as the N8 and E7, already support it and can work on all North American GSM carriers alongside most international carriers. Dual-mode support with CDMA would be new, however, and hasn't been seen in a shipping phone so far.
Apple has regularly called for having as few models in the market to simplify its ability to reach as many customers as possible with a single phone. The Verizon iPhone 4 is a rare exception to the rule and widely thought to have been released solely to curb Android sales for the several months between the start of 2011 and the yearly iPhone update. The new version would return to having a single model and limit any separate production runs to very specialized cases.
Unlocked iPhone models for that reason haven't been practical in the US. Without support for T-Mobile bands, any unlocked iPhone would be limited to 2G data at best on the smaller carrier unless the AT&T buyout of T-Mobile went through. A penta-band phone would also be a hedge whether or not the merger goes through, either giving maximum flexibility for bandwidth or saving Apple the trouble of having to redesign its 2012 model if the merger is blocked.
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