iPhone 5 Said to Support 21Mbps HSPA+ Data Speeds

As Apple's Oct. 4 iPhone event is round the corner, more information has started to surface over the specifications of the next-generation iPhone, presumably called iPhone 5.

The latest report claims that iPhone 5 would support HSPA+ networks that would provide faster internet speeds compared to its predeccesors, Japanese blog Macotakara reported, citing a China Unicom executive's presentation at Macworld Asia.

HSPA+, or Evolved High-Speed Packet Access, is a technical standard for wireless, broadband telecommunication, offering download speeds of up to 21Mbps. Currently, iPhone 4 running on Verizon and AT&T's networks support speeds of up to 7.2Mbps.

Meanwhile, AT&T is marketing its HSPA+ network as 4G, though it is not actually 4G, which is 10 times faster than the existing 3G speeds. On the other hand, Verizon already launched its 4G LTE services.

The latest development hints that Apple wants its new iPhone to have faster data speeds pitting against rivals like Samsung, whose LTE version of Galaxy S2 will soon hit the markets.

At the same time, China is expected to play a big role this time for Apple. China has the largest wireless subscriber base in the world and grew steadfast to 917 million wireless subscriber in July. At present, China Unicom, which has 186 million subscribers, is carrying iPhone in the country, while there are various reports claiming that iPhone may also come to the China Mobile, which is the world's largest carrier having a subscriber base of 627.6 million.