Rumours have circulated before about chip designer Qualcomm putting its silicon into future versions of the iPhone, which are resurfacing now in an article by Taiwanese publication DigiTimes.

According to "market sources", the report says that Apple and Qualcomm are in talks regarding the use of the company's cellular and 3G chipsets in future iterations of the iPhone.

These chips would essentially provide dual-mode carrier connectivity, which would allow the iPhone to connect to either CDMA or HSPA technology - making the handset more accessible to a greater range of providers. Actually, it'd make it accessible to all current providers.

Other handset manufacturers are also looking at Qualcomm's dual-mode chipsets for an expected release of late 2010, though a new iPhone isn't expected any time soon as there are currently no trials in operation that would allow for a release next year.

That said, rumours are also abound of a new iPhone model being spotted out in the wild, so maybe there's more meat in this gravy than we expect.