Apple wants to bind to China Mobile, the operator at 670 millions of customers.

Apple wants to bind to China Mobile, the operator at 670 millions of customers.

If the world has eyes that for the iPhone 5 in the coming months, a crucial event for the Apple may soon take place while having a much lower media echo. Apple could sign with China Mobile. It is not anyone since it is the mobile operator n ° 1 in the world with approximately 670 million customers. These quarters, China has shown the importance it had for Apple. To such an extent that a large part of the growth of the creator of the iPad is linked to its sales in the most populous country in the world. Apple is still a major problem facing: the firm of Steve Jobs is partner since 2009 China Unicom (n ° 2 of the country) and China Telecom (n ° 3) for a few months. China Mobile, the operator n ° 1 in China and in the world in number of clients, thus does not offer the Apple iPhone to its subscribers. Its competitors, and especially Samsung, benefit greatly from this situation, as to relegate Apple behind the South Korean, but also behind Nokia and the Chinese Huawei and ZTE. The latter two also signed important progressions between the first quarter of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012. According to Bloomberg, this situation could still change. Apple discussed actively with China Mobile by Xi Guohua, the Director of China Mobile. No agreement has yet been found, but if an agreement were to take place, it is not certain that it would begin this year. Nevertheless, the contract of exclusivity with China Unicom is now in the past, Apple can therefore sign with any competitor when it wishes. For Apple as well as for China Mobile, gains can be huge. For the first, the aim is both to sell additional millions of iPhone and therefore become the No. 1 global sales of Smartphone to Samsung. For the Chinese operator, this will allow it to consolidate its position and achieve faster the 700 or 800 million mobile clients.

Posted in: Apple