Previously, we have discussed in detail as to how Apple is planning on breaking in to the huge smartphone market in China. China's premier mobile carrier, China Unicom has previously had a partnership with Apple and now the two companies are bent on taking their partnership to a whole new level. With the release of next generation iPhone coming close each day, sources indicate that Apple is meeting with top China Unicom executives in order to seal the deal which will allow over 18 million subscribers to buy CDMA iPhone 5 from China Unicom starting November 2011.
As per recent rumours, the iPhone 5 USA release is slated for September which will be followed by a global iPhone 5 launch in October. It is highly likely that Apple will hold a special event on September 7, 2023 and will announce the next generation iPhone. Apart from that, rumours also indicate that the Cupertino outfit may release two iPhone models this year, the other being a cheaper contract free iPhone powered by iCloud.
China Unicom is the state owned mobile network of the People's Republic of China. There are over 18 million 3G subscribers on the China Unicom network, a huge number that Apple would obviously want to capture with its brand new iPhone. Sources indicate that China Unicom executives have flown in to Cupertino to take part in the final discussions relating to launching iPhone 5 in China. It is highly likely that in this high-level meeting, the executives will sign the contract to officially allow its large number of subscribers to buy CDMA iPhone 5 from China Unicom in November later this year..
Sources claim that China Unicom will be offering the CDMA iPhone 5 to its 18 million 3G subscribers. While rumours have indicated that the iPhone 5 will be able to run on both GSM and CDMA networks simultaneously, China's state owned carrier will only be getting the CDMA iPhone 5. Sources familiar with the matter claim that China Unicom has set aside a budget of 1.5 billion yuan to market the CDMA iPhone 5 in China once it is officially announced by Apple.
China Unicom is the second largest mobile network in China and is currently the sole carrier that offers the iPhone on a service contract in China. Previously, this business model has cost the network a loss of 1.9 billion yuan in its first quarter. However, with the CDMA iPhone 5 release, China Unicom hopes to see some green on its balance sheets.
A question for our readers from China, will you buy CDMA iPhone 5 from China Unicom? In your view, do people prefer to buy cheap Chinese iPhone 5 replicas instead of the real device? Let's get the discussion started in the comments down below.