China's second largest wireless carrier, China Unicom, denied reports that it will launch the Apple iPhone in China next month, noting that it is still in discussions with Apple to bring the now-iconic
smartphone to China.
A China Unicom spokesperson has said that an International Business Times report that the Chinese carrier had ordered 5 million Apple iPhone smartphones for distribution throughout China are false. The report speculated that China Unicom paid roughly $1.5 billion to buy 5 million iPhones from Apple, smartphones the carrier would start selling in China in September. The International Business Times report, which quoted two China Unicom executives who reportedly confirmed the deal had been inked, even hinted at the pricing of the 8-GB and 16-GB iPhone models in China.
China Unicom, however, said it had been in talks with Apple to bring the iPhone to China, but those talks are ongoing. The company said China Unicom has not placed an iPhone order with Apple.
"Talks between us and Apple have been going on for some time, but no agreement has been reached yet," China Unicom spokesman Yi Difei told The Associated Press. "There are all kinds of possibilities. There is no particular timetable for the talks."
Apple, too, has said there is no information indicating when the Apple iPhone will make its way into China and whether China Unicom will be the carrier when and if the wildly popular smartphone reaches the country.
China is untapped territory for the Apple iPhone and and an Apple deal with a China telecom company will open the door to 1.3 billion potential new customers, roughly 650 million of which use mobile phones. While the Apple iPhone is consistently gaining market share over the competition, a launch in China with China Unicom, or any carrier, would be a major coup and likely spur a massive increase in iPhone sales.
