With the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 release date just weeks away, carriers nationwide are gearing up to prepare for the incoming avalanche of users expected in the days after the new Apple gadget is released. According a Computer World report on Aug. 24, however, the next-generation iPhone may in fact crash LTE networks because of FaceTime and other data-hogging apps.

According to reports, FaceTime uses roughly 3MB per minute on average. If millions of people start using it, it would mean a tremendous load for LTE networks, so a crash is not out of the question.

"If I were a carrier, I'd be rather frightened by FaceTime," said J. Gold Associates analyst Jack Gold. "If everybody used FaceTime, bandwidth would go up dramatically, and the user experience would go down."

According to the Computer World report, AT&T and Verizon introduced data sharing plans designed to "limit a surge in heavy data use expected especially with the use of Apple's FaceTime real-time video chat software on the iPhone."

As bandwidth use increases, Gold explained, there will be a significant decrease in user experience. Essentially, consumers will not be able to enjoy all the new features of the next-generation iPhone if carriers are not ready to support it with their networks.

Carriers are undoubtedly working to prepare for what is expected to be the biggest iPhone launch yet. On the other hand, it is virtually impossible to predict whether their preparations will be enough until the device is actually available and the proud new owners start using up bandwidth.

Even AT&T has expressed some concerns regarding FaceTime data usage. In a recent blog post, the carrier has explained why it is basically forcing FaceTime users onto its Mobile Share data plans instead of letting them use individual plans.

"We are broadening our customers' ability to use the preloaded version of FaceTime, but limiting it in this manner to our newly developed AT&T Mobile Share data plans out of an overriding concern for the impact this expansion may have on our network and the overall customer experience," Bob Quinn, senior VP for federal regulatory matters, explained in the blog post.

"We will be monitoring the impact the upgrade to this popular preloaded app has on our mobile broadband network, and customers, too, will be in a learning mode as to exactly how much data FaceTime consumes on those usage based plans."

FaceTime connections will also depend on the spectrum band that carriers use for LTE. Lower frequencies can carry signals farther, and both AT&T and Verizon worked to get 700 MHz spectrum at the lower end for LTE particularly for that reason, added Gold.