'iPhone 5, iPad3 will offer 4G LTE'

Move over chipset issues and questions over network readiness, Apple iPhone 5 will offer 4G LTE, according to the latest leaks.

AT&T documents leaked by the hacking group LulzSec reveals that the carrier is in the process of rolling out its 4G LTE network soon. The leaks also suggest that Apple's next generation iPad, iPad 3, will also sport 4G LTE capability.

The files describes the testing process for an iPad 4G LTE compatible model, most probably the iPad 2’s successor which s expected to be launched sometime in 2012, nextiphonenews reported.

LTE, or Long Term Evolution, is the latest standard in the mobile network technology and is a project of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Most mobile carriers in the world have plans to convert their networks into LTE, or 4G as it is often called. The current generation of mobile telecommunication networks are known as 3G or third generation.

The world's first publicly available LTE-service was opened by TeliaSonera in Stockholm and Oslo in December 2009.

However, there are some factors that the industry sees will prevent Apple from rolling out its LTE handset this year. First is chipset supply issues and the second is worldwide lacunae in the implementation of the LTE network, which is seen as the standard for mobile communications in future.

Qualcomm is the supplier of LTE chips and they have been facing yield problems of late. It has been widely reported that Apple was unhappy with the first generation LTE chipsets that make bulkier phones. Analysts have said an iPhone-friendly LTE chipset could come only in 2012.

The extra bulk of phones like the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Droid Charge is necessary because they need a discrete chipset just for 4G data and a second, 3G chipset to handle calls and regular data, Electronista said in a report, analysing why first generation LTE chipsets aren't Apple's choice.

Apple's stand-in CEO Tim Cook had said in April that the first generation LTE chipsets forced a lot of design compromises with the handset and that the company was not willing to make those compromises.