Hard to say exactly what this is about, but when I plugged in my iPhone 3G today I received a different update message than I'm used to. It said:
"An update to the carrier settings for your iPhone is available. Would you like to download it now?"According to Apple's KB, carrier settings are:
Carrier settings updates are small files (about 10k) that are downloaded from iTunes to be installed on your iPhone. The carrier settings can include updates to the default APN (how iPhone accesses the carrier's cellular data network), special dialing codes at Settings > Phone > [Carrier] Services, default settings for Stocks, Maps, Weather, and other items.OK, can we be more vague. Naturally, Apple isn't giving us any release notes, but on the positive side of things, these are small files that don't require a reboot of any type.
According to MobileCrunch, the update included references to AT&T's upcoming femtocell device (AKA MicroCell), in the form of light and dark images (shown). We thought it might be coming earlier than anticipated and this just reinforces that opinion.At the same time, it appears that Apple added settings for the Mobily network (Saudi Arabia) and Etisalat (United Arab Emirates) in this update as well (which makes sense as those countries are supposed to launch on 2/15).