Since the announcement of Apple’s ‘new iPad’ we’re no longer sure whether to dub the next iPhone the iPhone 5 or new iPhone and of course it could be something completely different. Most people expect to see its arrival in the fall, whatever it’s eventually called, and today we want to look at how the next iPhone with LTE could drive global sales of LTE smartphones.

As the new iPad was confirmed to have 4G LTE connectivity, it now seems more than likely that LTE will also feature on the next iPhone. Indeed yesterday we took a look at what we could learn about the next iPhone from the iPad arrival and LTE featuring was one of those things. Now it’s looking even more probable with a report today in DigiTimes, a Taiwanese newspaper, reflecting this opinion and discussing how a new iPhone with LTE will impact the LTE smartphone market.

The news comes to us from BGR who say that according to sources, the next iPhone is due later this year and will have an embedded 4G LTE radio. The sources say the release will be in the second half of the year, which sits nicely with those fall rumors, and goes on to look at LTE smartphone figures. Apparently earlier predictions were that 25 to 30 million LTE smartphones would be sold during 2012. However a new LTE-equipped iPhone is expected to drive those sales up to between 45 and 50 million units.

As well as new additions such as a better battery, improved resolution, larger display and more for the next iPhone, BGR also reports that it will feature a redesigned antenna system and possibly a unibody aluminum casing. It does seem incredible that one phone featuring LTE could drive LTE smartphone sales targets up by so much but then that is the power of Apple and after the sellout of the new iPad before its even been released, nothing should surprise us any more.

Another interesting look at the next iPhone and LTE can be found here, which discusses the difficulties involved in LTE fragmentation around the world. What are your thoughts on the next iPhone and LTE connectivity? Do you think this is a ‘must have’ for the next iPhone? Maybe you’re not so bothered about LTE but do want to see another new feature or upgrade? Why not let us know.