Aside from the obvious swap to a CDMA cellular radio, one of the other major differences between the Verizon iPhone and AT&T iPhone is the inclusion of the personal hotspot functionality. Sure, you could do the jailbreak thing to do some wireless tethering on the GSM iPhone 4, but it’s so much easier when it’s already in there.

Well, it seems that everyone is about to get access to this personal hotspot very soon. According to some insider reports, iOS 4.3 will include the personal hotspot regardless of carrier. As mentioned, we already know that the Verizon version will get it, so does this mean that AT&T will support this too? We hope so.

Then again, it’s very much possible that AT&T is going to lay down the ban hammer on the iPhone’s personal hotspot, once again forcing you into the jailbreak community to do the wireless tethering thing. It’s not a deal breaker for some folks, but the personal hotspot comes in so useful when you’re away from home.

Realistically, it’s a bit of a shame that AT&T and Apple would lock this down for so long. It’s a pretty standard thing to find on other platforms and other carriers, after all. In any case, iOS 4.3 is set to hit in March. Maybe AT&T will wait for an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 to implement this?