We’ve heard lots of rumors about the iPhone 5′s data connectivity, ranging from LTE to WiMAX and everything in-between. Some new evidence suggests that one option we’ll definitely be seeing is the inclusion of HSPA+ support, letting the phone reach 21Mbps speeds.

This information comes courtesy of China Unicom from the Macworld Asia 2011 conference, where it outlined the evolution of wireless data through previous iPhone models. At the end of its timeline sat the iPhone 5 (or, at least, a holding spot in the absence of a real picture of the smartphone), with two notable facts marked beneath it: beyond showing the step up from 7.2Mbps WCDMA to HSPA+, the timeline also claims that the iPhone 5 is looking forward to a 2011 release.

We haven’t been so sure lately about seeing an all-new iPhone 5 this year, with some signs pointing to Apple announcing only changes to the iPhone 4 lineup at its event scheduled for next week. Even if we’re looking at smaller-scale changes, could HSPA+ be among them? If we don’t see LTE or WiMAX models, and T-Mobile doesn’t get the phone this year, HSPA+ could give AT&T a big advantage over the other carriers, even in the absence of its once-exclusive rights to the phone.

Source: Macotakara

Via: BGR