Andre Yoskowitz
11 Jul 2009 14:36
According to an Apple Insider report, Apple may finally be in the closing stages of bringing the iPhone to China.
The report says the company as applied for a Network Access License, meaning a release could be just months away.
The news comes through Wedge Partners analyst Matt Mathison who says the application was filed this week but notably lacks any mention of onboard Wi-Fi, meaning the wireless will not be available on the Chinese version of the phone.
It has been long rumored that Wi-Fi would have to be dropped to "appease the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which would prefer that iPhone owners use local networks," says AI.
Mathison says he is confident now that the Wi-Fi issue is settled that the phone will go on sale in China before the Chinese New Year, on February 14th 2010. The phone will likely be available through carrier China Unicom , the only carrier in the nation that has available compatibility "with the iPhone's existing 3G standards."