The latest iPhone operating system – iPhone OS 4 has been released and contains some exciting new capabilities that will have dramatic ramifications for the mobile networks.

As we have detailed before, the new OS4 contains many new features, but the most significant one is the new multi-tasking capability, allowing multiple applications to run in the background. This feature is crucial for unifying communications because now the iPhone user can be automatically alerted of incoming chat, voice and video over IP calls, something that was previously impossible.

This new multi-tasking capability of the iPhone OS will spawn the release of several new Unified Communications applications that will ultimately integrated and deliver better communications to enterprise and businesses alike.

Of course all this new technology is only useful if the mobile networks are up to it which means either optimising their existing 3G networks to support video and voice over IP or eventually upgrading to them to 4G LTE technology. 4G LTE (long term evolution) technology is already being tested by mobile networks across the globe including Verizon in the USA and O2 in the UK and can offer speeds of up to 40mb download and 2mb upload – more than sufficient for good quality video conferencing and video calling.

Things are really starting to change in the communications industry, and it has been mentioned once or twice that we really are on the brink of a technology shift, unheard of for a generation.