All iPhones To Get Personal Hotspot / Wireless Tethering Functionality?

Written by Rob Nichols on January 12, 2011 · Filed under Software, Tech 

If you currently reside in the US, or you’re just someone like myself who tends to keep up with the news from afar as well as on our own doorstep, you will be aware that US cellular network Verizon Wireless yesterday announced that they would be carrying the iPhone 4 from February.

If you weren’t aware of this, the chances are it has no relevance to you anyway, or you just don’t care. However, there was one interesting development yesterday, and that was that the Verizon iPhone would support personal hotspot functionality! Which is essentially the same as what you’ve been able to do on an Android mobile phone tethering for quite a while now, sharing your 3G network to Wi-Fi capable devices.

Now, unconfirmed reports leaking today suggest that this functionality won’t be restricted to Verizon iPhones. Indeed, all iPhones will eventually be updated to support the service.

However, we’re not sure yet whether it will just be a US thing, or global, for it depends entirely on the carrier’s support for it.

The rumours are circling, anyhow, that the option will be arriving with the next update to iOS, 4.3, in March. So if your one that’s been craving this functionality without having to jailbreak your iPhone for some time, you should keep a look out for announcements not only from Apple, but your network as well.

Of course, if anything develops here in the UK to allow your iPhone to function as an internet hotspot so that you can use wireless tethering with your laptop, iPad or other device requiring internet access, we’ll keep you informed!

Via – Engadget & Gadget Venue