Samsung seeks to ban iPhone 5 sales over LTE dispute – report

PanARMENIAN.Net - Apple last night (September 12) announced its first long-term evolution (LTE) iPhone at a launch event in the US, but reports suggest that rival Samsung Electronics will seek to have the phone banned over alleged patent infringement, according to Digital Spy.

The iPhone 5 will compete against Samsung's already-established lineup of LTE smartphones, including the popular Galaxy S3 handset.

Apple and Samsung are also locked in an ongoing patent tussle, which recently resulted in Apple being awarded $1bn+ in damages after winning a high-profile case in America.

The Korea Times reports that market watchers are expecting Samsung to use its larger chest of LTE patents to challenge the 4G iPhone.

In the first half of 2012, Samsung was the number one holder of LTE standard patents at the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), with 819 patents, or 12.7% of the total.

Apple only entered the top-ten list last year, although it is thought to have rapidly expanded its portfolio and now holds an estimated 434 LTE patents.

As the two firms are battling it out for control of the $219bn global smartphone market, it is thought likely that Samsung will look to use its patents to challenge the LTE iPhone.