It seems like Apple’s ultimate gadget, the 3G iPhone will
soon be available in China.
According to a Reuters report, who is quoting a China Mobile spokeswoman, the
two companies are in talks to finalize a deal regarding the iPhone.
Until now, China Mobile has refused a deal with Apple,
because of the a revenue-sharing business model imposed by the US company. As
Apple has given up to this business model, China Mobile seems ready to talk
about the practical aspects of the deal.
China Mobile Communications Corporation, also known as China
Mobile or CMCC, represents the largest mobile phone operator from China, as
well the largest mobile phone operator in the world if ranked by the number of
subscribers, which is about 380 million, nearly 30 percent of the country's
total population. China Mobile is owned by the People’s Republic of China
government and it has more than 119,000 employees.
Although iPhone is not officially available in China, a
report released by In-Stat in February revealed that there were already nearly
400,000 unlocked iPhones in China at the end of 2007.
“According to China Mobile, the biggest wireless carrier, in
China
there were about 400,000 cracked iPhones using its cellular network service at
the end of 2007, representing one out of every 10 iPhone shipments announced
officially by Apple. The figure surprised us as it is fourfold of that we
estimated before,” wrote Anty Zheng, Content Manager In-Stat China, in a report
released on February 15.
Apple is already set to enter the Japanese market, as the
company has secured a deal with Softbank.
Softbank is the third-biggest Japanese telecommunications
media corporation, with several activities such as fixed-line
telecommunications, broadband, technology services, finance, media, marketing
and many more. In Japan,
Apple’s iPhone will be sold for for 23,040 yen ($214,6) and the offer includes
an unlimited data transfer usage and demands a two-year deal with a monthly fee of 7,280 yen.
Apple is also seeking a deal to launch the iPhone in Russia. The new
3G iPhone will go on sale in 70 countries and if the company will manage to
secure deals for China and Russia, the
company will probably surpass its 10 million target.
