Many people have been calling for the iPhone to gain 4G compatibility on the smartphone. With the standards for 4G going down, we could at least expect HSPA+ on the next iPhone. However our friends on Verizon may not be as lucky.

According to DigiTimes, the iPhone will not be gaining LTE support on Verizon’s speedy network any time soon. According to the sources, it is unlikely for the iPhone to see LTE support until 2012.

“Apple is likely to delay the launch of its LTE-enabled iPhones to 2012, said the sources, noting that the industry had also long been skeptical about the launch of LTE iPhones in 2011 as the implementation of LTE networks has not yet matured.”

It is always tough for people to predict for the iPhone and other Apple products and this one is definitely in this category. Apple has been a late adopter of new technology, evident from the fact that Apple did not adopt 3G data speeds with the original iPhone. With so many phones on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint now adopting 4G phones and Apple apparently not adopting it until 2012, could it possibly hurt the next iPhone?

Are you expecting to see LTE on the next iPhone? Do you think 4G on the next iPhone is necessary?