After all of these years, the Apple iPhone is finally coming to the World's largest carrier. Previously held back by China Mobile's proprietary TD-SCDMA 3G network, the advent of 4G LTE service for the operator has allowed Apple to offer its handset to the 750 million people who are China Mobile customers. An advertisement on a Chinese website says those China Mobile subscribers in Suzhou only, who are interested in either the Apple iPhone 5s or Apple iPhone 5c, can schedule an appointment to buy one of the phones once they are available. So far, 1200 have signed up.
The website adds that those who make a reservation will have priority when the Apple iPhone 5s and Apple iPhone 5c are ready to be ordered, although no date was mentioned as to when that will occur. An earlier report from state-run Xinhua News Agency gave December 18th as a possible launch date for the models. That is the date when China Mobile is expected to turn on its 4G LTE pipeline. The carrier has already received approval for its 4G network and has been waiting on the government to give it a specific launch date. Back in September, the iPhone 5s reportedly had received MIIT certification. That agency is China's equivalent to the FCC.
While the iPhone is already available for China Telecom and China Unicom, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been lobbying hard to get the phone to join the lineup at China Mobile. Even if a small percentage of the carrier's subscribers eventually opt to buy an iPhone, it will still result in some decent growth to Apple iPhone sales.
At long last, China Mobile is taking reservations for those who want to buy the Apple iPhone, even if it is for a small town to start
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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