China is one of the most prosperous markets or mobile phone companies, but also one of the trickiest to crack. It's taken Apple long time to partner with a local distributor, but the deal was finally sealed with China Unicom, with the first official iPhone sales due to roll out across the country this week.
PCWorld is also reporting that China Unicom is looking to bring a lot of the country's unofficial iPhone users into its contracts through the allure of 3G connectivity, the only Chinese provider to offer this service.
Grey market iPhones are apparently widely available, with many users operating the device through a SIM contract with the world's largest mobile phone provider, China Mobile.
Although these devices do not have wi-fi disabled, as the official China Unicom unit has (to meet Chinese government regulations), neither do they have access to a 3G network, which the official distributor is hoping such users will find appealing.
It's likely that China Unicom will make a big push in this direction, as it's contract with Apple is not an exclusive one. China Mobile is also currently in talks to distribute the iPhone, and some electronics retailers are also looking at providing the device sim free.
Top Stories
News
May 31st, 2024
Week in Views - Squad Busters goes global, broken app stores, and Hill Climb Racing gets the LEGO treatment
News
May 31st, 2024
Mobile Movers: All the latest appointments and job moves from around the industry
Events
Indie Game Fest & Indie Campus 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Game Access Conference 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Indie Craft K-Game Festival 2024 | Europe | May 31st |
Gaymer Pride | North America | Jun 1st |
BostonFig Online 2024 | Jun 1st | |
GameSummit Summer 2024 | Jun 1st | |
Gotland Game Conference 2024 | Nordic | Jun 3rd |
Games Mental Health Summit 2024 | Europe | Jun 3rd |