According to Electronista, AT&T plans for a faster 3G iPhone running at 7.2 Mbps – up from the 3.6 Mbps speed of the current network.
Chipmaker Infineon should have their new 3G chipset available starting from mid-year supporting the faster speeds while also improving battery life. AT&T has been trialing 7.2Mbps 3G since late 2008 and should roll out the speedier HSDPA service this year. The provider has stressed that many of its cell towers can be upgraded solely through software rather than new equipment.
Unfortunately, current iPhones are limited by hardware to 3.6Mbps 3G and cannot be upgraded.
Electronista also points to the possibility of a new Broadcom 802.11n chipset being used in the next-generation iPhone to bring increased Wi-Fi speeds to around 50MBps.