August 15th, 2009

China is one of world biggest mobile phones market segment has makes companies enthusiastic think and trying to find partner which appropriate to join in mobile phone carriers market. As host, China Unicom plans to holding rein and talking with Apple about becoming an iPhone carrier but denied a report it has reached a deal and will buy 5 million handsets.

Apple have contract to produce iPhones which will export to China, Apple has yet to sign up a Chinese partner but thousands of unlocked iPhones brought in from other markets are in use in China.

According to China Business News its information came from a sales manager for Unicom’s subsidiary in the southern province of Guangdong, Yu Zhaonan, Unicom employees who answered the phone at Guangdong said they did not have a number to reach Yu. A Unicom Guangdong spokesman, Xiao Fangxin, said he knew of no agreement and referred questions to Yi in Beijing.

The report comes from China newspaper on Friday, but Unicom spokesman Yi Difei said “Talks between us and Apple have been going on for some time, but no agreement has been reached yet,” he also said “There are all kinds of possibilities. There is no particular timetable for the talks.”

Yi declined to give details. But he denied a report by the newspaper China Business News that Unicom secured a three-year exclusive iPhone deal and would pay 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion) handsets in China.

Still newspaper report, the iPhone would go on sale in September at French retailer Carrefour SA’s outlets in China. Phone calls to Carrefour spokespeople were not answered. But Apple spokeswoman in Beijing, Tiffany Yang, said she had no information about an iPhone agreement in China.

A potential carrier in China have makes some companies enthusiastic how to share revenues, and so do Ericsson a Sweden Company has join with China Unicom to taking aim carrier market in Guangdong and others province in China, according to Chinese news reports.