Aussie Apple iPhone to do 42Mbps?

Another iPhone rumour to come out Down Under, this one promising blistering speeds from the Apple handset. According to Aussie tech site Channel News, a Telstra spokesperson has said the device will be running speeds of 42 Mbps by the end of the year.

“We know what is coming we have seen the new device and it will be available on our network as soon as it is launched in the USA. By Xmas this phone will be capable of 42 Mbps, which will make it faster than a lot of broadband offerings and the fastest iPhone on any network in the world,” Channel News quotes the Aussie operator’s spokesperson as saying.

I’m not sure I’m convinced about these speed claims. For a start, as far as I know, Telstra’s planning to go to 42Mbps next year, rather than this year – although it does have a history of getting its network build-out projects finished before deadline.

Telstra also has a habit of complaining about a lack of handsets that can run at the top end of the speeds its network promises – I’m not sure Apple is going to go from a 2G phone to the fastest 3G phone in the world in one iteration, just for Telstra: a pretty minor mobile player. I think it’s more likely that Apple’s iPhone will be in the 3.6Mbps or 7.2Mbps region, and able to run on Telstra’s Next G network, which will promise speeds several times faster than that by the end of the year.