Belying speculations spreading during the past week, China Mobile on Monday denied it has renewed talks with Apple Inc. regarding the distribution of iPhone handsets in China. Such negotiations may be held closer to the release date of the 3G version of the iPhone later this year, the giant carrier said, as quoted by the Internatinal Business News.
"We have not yet officially begun talks with Apple over the iPhone problem," said Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile CEO.
Initial talks between China Mobile and Apple over the launch of iPhone handsets in China were called off last January, after the parties reportedly failed to reach an agreement over the revenue-sharing scheme.
China Mobile, a telecom giant, had a subscriber base of 375 million as of February, more than the population of the United States. Reports also indicated that the carrier services some 400,000 first-generation iPhones that have been unlocked and smuggled into China for subscribers unwilling to wait for the official rollout. (52RD.com) |
