On Wednesday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson announced in a meeting at the Churchill Club of Santa Clara, California that the company will be introducing a 3G version of the iPhone that can access the Internet at faster speeds.

"You'll have it next year,'" Stephenson said in response to a question about when the 3G iPhone would debut. He said he didn't know how much more the new version will cost than the existing model, which sells for $399. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs "will dictate what the price of the phone is,'" he said.

According to Bloomberg.com, AT&T may be able to push a longer battery life out of a 3G chipset than has historically been seen. Apple CEO Steve Jobs went on the record in September stating that the iPhone's battery life would have been too short had the iPhone shipped with 3G chips, which he cited to be "real power hogs" at a news conference in London.

``We've got to see the battery lives for 3G get back up into the five-plus-hour range,'' said Jobs. ``Hopefully we'll see that late next year.''

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