If you’re with Vodafone or O2 and looking to get your hands on the LTE-enabled iPhone 5, we have bad news for you. The LTE new iPhone does not support the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrums the two networks will be using for their 4G network. This means that only EE and Three will offer the 4G iPhone.
Ofcom will auction off the two spectrums mentioned above to O2 and Vodafone later this year. Aside from the delay, the iPhone 5 will not support these frequencies. It will only support the 1,800MHz spectrum of EE’s 4GEE network and later on Three’s LTE network.
Apple designed its new iPhone to support LTE networks in the US and Asia. It looks like the Cupertino firm failed to consider 4G networks in Europe. The only way O2 and Vodafone will get to offer the iPhone 5 with LTE support is if Apple decides to release a version that supports the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrums.
We’re not sure if Apple plans to release a version that will work with these frequencies. If they do, this would mean an increase in cost and a reduction in production margins. We’re sure Apple or any company will not like this.
On the flip side, O2 and Vodafone are major networks in the UK. EE may be the biggest network in the UK, but only because it is Orange and T-Mobile under one banner. Individually, O2 or Vodafone may be bigger. So Apple may consider making a 4G iPhone for their frequencies.
Although Vodafone and O2 will not be getting the iPhone 5 with LTE support, they will still be getting the 3G iPhone 5.
Are you with Vodafone or O2? Are you looking to get your hands on the 4G version of the iPhone 5? Does this mean that you’re switching over to EE? Share your thoughts through a comment on our Facebook page.
Your article is very interesting indeed. I am quite concerned about what I was told by an employee of Orange yesterday- he told me that the ‘SIM free’ iPhone 5 I pre-ordered from the Apple website is NOT compattable with the 4G EE network. He told me that I would need a different version of the phone that was going to be released through Everything Everywhere in the future. This is interesting asit is exactly what you say here but the other way around!! Is there any truth behind what he told me??
Hi Simon,
If you buy the iPhone 5 on either T-Mobile or Orange, EE are promising that they’ll move you over to their new 4G network once it is live.