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Unicom Subsidiary Confirms iPhone Contract
China Unicom's (NYSE:CHU, 762.HK, 600050.SH) Shanghai subsidiary confirmed on Wednesday that its parent company has reached an agreement with Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL) to bring the 3G iPhone to China, reports Sina. Shanghai Unicom heard the news on March 25 and is currently prepping for iPhone's China entry, said a related employee. Unicom may release the iPhone with its 3G network on May 17 and launch trials before that date, the employee said. The Shanghai Unicom site featured the phone on a page that introduces WCDMA-supportive handsets on Tuesday, according to the employee.
Another Unicom employee said he had not received the announcement, while Beijing Unicom said it hadn't been notified and did not want to comment, said the report.
China Unicom plans to wait to announce the agreement until May 17, reports Communications Weekly quoting an unnamed insider. The contract stipulates that Unicom will subsidize iPhone terminals, purchase a designated number of iPhones, and share revenue from wireless value-added services with Apple, said the report. Apple conceded that the iPhone will only support Unicom SIM cards. Apple is localizing software, preparing exclusive stores and testing iPhone compatibility with the WCDMA network, the report said. Unicom has begun testing the iPhone in Hebei province's Lanfang, Baoding, Tangshan and Qinhuangdao cities, said an unnamed source.
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