It has been consistently rumored over the last few weeks that China Mobile, the largest mobile carrier in the world, will be launching the new iPhones soon. Apple CEO Tim Cook had a meeting with the carrier’s chairman recently, who said that China Mobile is keen on selling the iPhone. It was rumored recently that Apple is ready to start shipping units to the carrier, however as per famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, China Mobile’s iPhone launch might be delayed till November.
China Mobile has over 700 million subscribers, analysts believe that Apple might sell as many as 20 million additional units if the iPhone is launched on this carrier. Before China Mobile can do that though, it needs to complete the roll out of its TDD-LTE network, which might cause the launch to be delayed. In a note to investors, Kuo says that the carrier’s TDD-LTE network hasn’t been properly prepared as yet. He also predicts that China Mobile will use the iPhone 5S as the flagship device for promoting its own TDD-LTE network, so its essential to get the network in place first before it starts blowing the trumpet. The new iPhones are expected to be launched in China, on two of China Mobile’s rivals, on September 20th.
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