China Telecom hurries preparations to offer iPhone 4S

China Telecom has speeded up preparations to sell Apple's iPhone 4S, which would end the exclusive control of China Unicom over iPhone business, experts told the Global Times Sunday.

An insider from China Telecom, the nation's third-largest wireless carrier by number of subscribers, told the Global Times on condition of anonymity yesterday that it is only a matter of time when a version of Apple's iPhone built for China Telecom's network receives approval from the Chinese regulator.

Since China Telecom has signed a confidentiality agreement with Apple, the company can not release any specific information currently, the insider said.

China Telecom is reportedly planning to begin the sale of iPhone 4S some time in the first quarter this year.

iPhone 4S built for China Telecom's CDMA2000 network received the license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on January 17.

China Unicom, currently the nation's only carrier to offer Apple's smartphones, started to sell iPhone 4S in China on January 13.

"China Telecom and China Unicom both use different wireless technologies. China Telecom's sale of iPhone 4S will offer one more choice to customers," Xiang Ligang, a telecom expert and CEO of telecom portal cctime.com, told the Global Times yesterday.

China Unicom began its cooperation with Apple in 2009 on iPhone in China, which has helped the carrier to win many high-end customers and establish a good brand reputation.

However, it is very hard for China Telecom to emulate China Unicom's achievement as cheaper smartphones dominate the market in China in the end, Xiang said.

China Unicom and China Telecom's biggest rival, China Mobile, the country's biggest carrier by subscriber number, has also been reported to be in talks with Apple about offering iPhone.