iPhone 6 one step away from mainland: telecom regulator   

iPhone6入網許可到最后審核階段

(ECNS) -- Apple's new iPhone 6 is only one step away from the mainland market, and the prices of smuggled handsets have already begun to fall slightly, the Beijing Times reports.

Miao Wei, head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the country's telecom regulator, said the iPhone 6 was in the final stage of acquiring a network access license.

He didn't reveal the exact time, only saying he believed "it would come out quickly," and "please be patient."

A report last week by the 21st Century Business Herald suggested the iPhone may not be released until 2015.

Apple rolled out its new smartphones in nine markets last Friday, including Hong Kong.

Mainland hunger for the new handsets has fueled smuggling. Hong Kong customs and marine police on Saturday foiled some perpetrators, seizing 138 new iPhones.

Shenzhen customs on Monday found iPhone 6s hidden in all manner of containers, including boxes for tea, desserts and coffee.

However, smartphones successfully smuggled into the mainland have seen their prices drop by 1,500 yuan ($244) on the grey market.

Apple said on Monday that it had sold a record-high 10 million units of its new and bigger iPhones over the weekend.