AT&T to introduce Faster 3G network For iPhone Video chat

Going by the grapevine,the next-gen iPhone model would feature video chat. The feature would be supported by AT&T’s plans to expand to a faster wireless network called HSPA 7.2 later this year. No doubt, video chat would enrich the experience of iPhone users, capitalizing on AT&T’s swift. The video chat feature may not be available with the July release of next-gen iPhone, still having a faster network with the 3G upgrade is always great. Although the AT&T spokeswomen made no comment on whether the new iPhone would offer HSPA 7.2 support. However, she added multiple HSPA 7.2 compatible laptop cards and smartphones will be introduced later in 2009. AT&T is an exclusive carrier for Apple’s iPhone in the US.

According to some of the analysts AT&T’s new network plans are a part of a general trend among the wireless networks to support smartphone wireless traffic of all types. The upgrade is not necessarily for iPhone video chat.

Video isn’t real time and moving in two direction as is the case with video chat.

According to Independent analyst Jeffrey Kagan

Smartphones are growing like crazy and networks are rushing like crazy to upgrade to meet the choking demand

Given the speculation some analysts believe that the iPhone users won’t be using the video feature too much. On the contrary it could be seen that the usage trends of some other phones that feature video chat like Cisco Systems Inc. and Polycom Inc. shows that they are expecting a burgeoning market for wireless video chat on handhelds.

Endorsing the video feature in iPhone, Jorge Mata, CIO for the Los Angeles Community College District said One feature I would love to have [in the next iPhone] is two-way videoconferencing

Further he added,

The empirical speed of HSPA as announced by AT&T will be 7.2Mbit/sec. Obviously, the new network will help video chat, but there’s sheer doubt about the quality of video chat. This can be critical especially in situations when there are several users relying on a single cell tower.

With so much said and done, it’s needless to say that AT&T’s HSPA 7.2 would be ready to take on video chat for iPhone’s next version. What remains speculative is when would AT&T offer the network and whether the timing will be in sync with iPhones release of video chat feature.