China Telecom may soon become the second Chinese mobile carrier to offer the iPhone.Both Apple and China Unicom, currently the country’s only carrier to offer the U.S. company’s smartphones, are scheduled to start selling the iPhone 4S in China on Friday, a move likely to further drive Apple’s growth in what has become a key market for the company.
Analysts expect that the version of the iPhone 4S due this week won’t work on China Telecom’s network. Just like AT&T and Verizon Wireless in the U.S., China Unicom and China Telecom use different wireless technologies. That means phones made for one usually don’t work on the other’s network.
But an Apple-made mobile phone that does use the same technology as China Telecom’s network has been approved by the national telecom regulator’s China Radio Management agency, which certifies radio-signal-emitting devices for use in the country, according to an agency website (in Chinese).
While the website only identifies the phone by a model number, A1387, it says the phone is compatible with “CDMA-2000,” the third-generation mobile technology used by China Telecom. An employee reached by phone at the agency on Monday confirmed that the device had been approved.
The approval doesn’t mean sales of the device are imminent. Mobile phones must also get other certifications, including a network access license, before being sold in China.
But it is a signpost. If Apple is indeed taking the phone through the usual regulatory steps, the process could be finished in a matter of weeks. Its completion would open the door to China Telecom partnering with Apple to offer the phone.
China Telecom is China’s largest fixed-line operator and third-largest mobile operator by subscriber accounts. The nation’s largest mobile operator, China Mobile, has repeatedly said it is in talks with Apple about also offering the iPhone in China, but its homegrown 3G mobile standard, TD-SCDMA, is not compatible with any current version of the Apple device.
An iPhone compatible with China Telecom’s network could attract buyers who don’t currently use the iPhone. China Telecom had 123 million mobile subscriber accounts at the end of November, including 33 million 3G accounts. But China Telecom’s expenses could also surge if it offers the iPhone, since it might heavily subsidize the phone’s retail price to attract mobile subscribers—just as China Unicom has done.
Jefferies analyst Cynthia Meng said Monday that she expects China Telecom to start offering the iPhone 4S sometime in the first quarter.
The phone that got the approval is also compatible with WCDMA technology, according to the agency website. That refers to the technology used by China Unicom, suggesting the model might work on either company’s network.
A China Telecom spokesman declined to comment on any talks about offering the iPhone. But company chairman Wang Xiaochu in March last year cited a confidential agreement with Apple as the reason he couldn’t comment on whether China Telecom would offer the iPhone or iPad. The company has also previously expressed interest in offering the devices.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
Apple is very flexible and smart company..In ths USA, there is no pirate, for example you download everything should pay fee not like us for downloading music, film...from internet freely if you only pay 100RMB/month internet fee...
Apple lnc cooperate with other company, if you use Iphone you can share everything for freely from net in the american....this is the big attraction I think from this product..
Apple cooperate with Chinese mobile, let us go and see what happen in the future..~
By the way, Thanks for copy owner's professional editting for our..
I read the news that some kind of tablet made in India costs about $50 and Indian government encourages students to use it. I hope there will be such products in China as soon as possible.
Wait and see.
As for the city I am living , China Mobile provide better service than China Telecom, I will not give up the former in short period of time .
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