Official deal: Apple and China Unicom agree to 3-year pact to sell the iPhone

Following weeks of speculation and false reports, Apple and China Unicom have finally hurdled the Great Wall for a three-year deal to sell the iPhone.

China Unicom

Multiple reports have confirmed the agreement on behalf of both China Unicom and Apple. According to The Wall Street Journal, the carrier will offer two versions of the iPhone in the fourth quarter of 2009. As expected, the device will have its Wi-Fi capabilities disabled, as required by government regulations.

China Unicom also plans to launch its 3G network on Sept. 28 in anticipation of the iPhone’s debut. The nation’s second-largest carrier has an estimated 141 million subscribers, and the state-owned provider will offer 3G access to start in 285 cities, expanding to 335 locations before 2010.

Officials declined to reveal the price of the device, but The Associated Press reported the iPhone was set to sell for a “competitive” price. Previous reports that China Unicom had agreed to pre-purchase 5 million phones were again denied. The report cites analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch as saying the phone will likely sell with two-year service contracts for between $99 and $299, as they do in the U.S.

“Apple’s talks with potential Chinese carriers had snagged on disagreements about how to share revenues, according to Chinese news reports,” the report states. “But (a China Unicom official) said the companies will not share revenues, with Unicom instead buying the phones in batches from (Apple) and offering them with subsidies.”

Related Posts

 

One Comment to “Official deal: Apple and China Unicom agree to 3-year pact to sell the iPhone”

  1. on 30 Aug 2009 at 6:47 pmiPhone App Reviews

    Wow, this will be great for increasing sales in the App Store.

What's your opinion?