China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone operator, has indicated that although it has yet to officially enter into talks with Apple over becoming the iPhone’s carrier in China, it is still interested in the handset. “We have not yet officially begun talks with Apple over the iPhone problem,” said China Mobile Chief Executive Wang Jianzhou. “As long as our customers want this kind of product, we will keep all options open.” Previously rumored to be in talks with Apple over the iPhone, the company most recently said that 400,000 unlocked iPhones were operating on its cellular network by the end of 2007. Jianzhou has previously stated that he dislikes the revenue-sharing business model that Apple has used with other iPhone carriers, stating, “we still think we can maintain the operator-centric model because we have the customers, the end users.” China Mobile currently has 350 million wireless subscribers.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.