Unlicensed China Mobile says 10M iPhones on its network

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Despite not having an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone, Chinese carrier China Mobile claims over 10 million customers are using the device on their network.



It was revealed on Monday that the world's largest mobile carrier by subscribers is seeing 10 million of its 630 million subscribers using the iPhone, but doesn't pay subsidies to Apple, reports Reuters.



"We have not yet got an agreement with Apple," China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou said at the ITU World telecoms fair in Geneva. "The total number of iPhones in China Mobile's network has reached 10 million - and we didn't pay any subsidies."



China Mobile's LTE data network is not compatible with any current iPhone model, though most of the carrier's customers opt for basic services like talk and text. Wang noted, however, that he personally met with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs several times about offering a model that would work on the telecom's next-generation TD-LTE network.



"Apple promised to provide, when they develop the iPhone for LTE, that it will include TD-LTE," Wang said. "We are discussing the details."



Currently only GSM/CDMA carrier China Unicom officially carries the popular smartphone in China. Wang notes, however, that the growing number of Apple retail stores across in China has allowed for a proliferation of the handset across the country's three mobile carriers' networks.



When Apple launched its new iPhone 4S, a GSM/CDMA compatible "world phone," the company also announced that an unlocked version of the handset will be available in November, which will allow customers to use their choice of GSM network.



The unlocked 4S comes only months after Apple began shipping its unlocked iPhone 4 in June.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    China Mobile's LTE data network is not compatible with any current iPhone model, though most of the carrier's customers opt for basic services like talk and text. Wang noted, however, that he personally met with late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs several times about offering a model that would work on the telecom's next-generation TD-LTE network.



    Or its UMTS(3G) network. All the phone would have to be GSM(2G) access only, which means GPRS or EDGE for cellular data.
  • Reply 2 of 9
    Maybe T-Mobile USA should publish numbers like that: it might get Apple's attention.
  • Reply 3 of 9
    jakebjakeb Posts: 563member
    Seriously? 10 million without even selling it themselves. I can't wait to see what happens when the 5 comes out. It's a good time to be holding AAPL.
  • Reply 4 of 9
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    isn't that 1.5% of their total network that is saturated with unofficial '2G'-only iPhones? Didn't Jobs say he wanted to get 1% of the cellphone market? I wonder what percentage of smartphones that accounts for.
  • Reply 5 of 9
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    Or its UMTS(3G) network. All the phone would have to be GSM(2G) access only, which means GPRS or EDGE for cellular data.



    i'm on china mobile with iPhone 4… i'm use to the edge network now, from so long i'm waiting for iPhone to support china mobile… the problem is that my number is 6 years old and i'm not gonna get the new number just for 3g service.

    i guess next year's iPhone model will support china mobile's 4g service…
  • Reply 6 of 9
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cutykamu View Post


    i'm on china mobile with iPhone 4? i'm use to the edge network now, from so long i'm waiting for iPhone to support china mobile? the problem is that my number is 6 years old and i'm not gonna get the new number just for 3g service.

    i guess next year's iPhone model will support china mobile's 4g service?



    I wouldn't be surprised to see a China Mobile version of the iPhone hit within 6 months.
  • Reply 7 of 9
    bwikbwik Posts: 565member
    It was actually genius not to sell it there because then it became a forbidden fruit. These are the NYC sourced iPhones (x more millions than even live in NYC). Every Chinese I know with an iPhone 4 bought it in the USA. It shows they "know someone" who can get the phone. Pure genius. The Chinese bought this hook, line and sinker. It captured the attention of >100 million young Chinese. There is no telling the impact this psychological placement has had.
  • Reply 8 of 9
    galbigalbi Posts: 968member
    Why is Apple so popular in China?



    "Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" - Sun Tzu



    Let Americans be dependent on us, so that one day, when everything hits the gutter, we can pull the plug and see the great Americans go down the drain.
  • Reply 9 of 9
    nairbnairb Posts: 253member
    I wonder how many of these are real iPhones. Given the problems with fake stores, fake devices etc iPhone has had in China of late. OS is real but is it sitting on a real iPhone or a cheap copy.



    Same can be said of any phone / tablet given China's history in producing cheap copies of brand names.
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