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Rumor: Apple Poised To Land Japan And China's Biggest Carriers For New iPhone

This article is more than 10 years old.

Two large gaps in Apple 's iPhone carrier relationships have long been the largest mobile providers in Japan and China, NTT DoCoMo and China Mobile . Multiple reports today emerging from the far east indicate those holes will be filled shortly after Apple launches the new iPhones next week. A report from Yahoo Japan says the iPhone will be available from DoCoMo 10 days after the reveal, the same date it's expected to go on sale worldwide. Sina Tech is responsible for the China Mobile story, where an AppleInsider reader provided a translation suggesting the iPhone will at last reach the carrier in November.

For DoCoMo, which has 60 million subscribers in Japan, the issue has been one of control. The company is truly a pioneer in modern smartphones, having app-like functionality on simpler handsets years before touchscreen-based models like the iPhone even existed. The company long insisted that Apple offer the iPhone with some of its carrier apps and Apple long said no. Apparently, something has broken the logjam and it should be a clear win for both. Apple gains access to nearly half the population of Japan and DoCoMo can stop losing customers to rivals.

The China story is more complex. Apple has long coveted China Mobile's 700 moillion subscribers, the largest customer base of anyone in the world by far, even as it has struck deals with China Telecom and China Unicom . The latter two are expected to carry the new phones right after launch as China Unicom has had the iPhone since 2009 and China Telecom since 2012. But China Mobile still will have to wait a bit. The carrier uses an unusual technology call TD-LTE for its 4G and TD-SCDMA for its older 3G. Apple's previous models couldn't support the unique requirements of the carrier, but the new phones are expected to contain parts from Qualcomm that can. The delay is due to time for regulatory approvals -- China's equivalent of the FCC -- and means the new phones could come to the carrier in November.

For more on what might be coming from Apple, see my earlier report: Does Apple Have Any Surprises Left For Next Week's iPhone Reveal?

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