UBS Investment Research Analyst Ben Reitzes has predicted that Apple will be announcing more international iPhone carriers in the next few months and hinted at the possibility of a new iPhone model by March next year.

It's no secret that Apple has been pushing for more iPhone carriers in the international scene. So far the company has already gotten AT&T (Cingular) for the U.S. distribution of the iPhone, T-Mobile for their Germany release, and recently mobile carrier Orange for France. What Reitzes failed to mention though is whether or not Apple will still continue to give exclusive rights to a selected carrier per region or if they plan on allowing multiple carriers in the same region to carry the unit.

Reitzes also gave word that their contacts in the supply chain said that a new iPhone model will probably be released by March 2008. So far, details about this supposed launch are rather sketchy and there's been no indication if it will be a new kind of iPhone or a modification on the existing iPhone models.

We'll have to wait until Apple makes an official announcement regarding both issues before we can confirm any of Reitzes predictions. Investors might want to keep a close eye on this because any move by Apple to strengthen their mobile leg of the business may cause the company's stock to rise.