China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile phone company in terms of users, will work with Apple on an alliance that may lead to an iPhone for the company’s fourth-generation TD-LTE network, reports “Bloomberg.”
“China Mobile and Apple hope to find a solution for close collaboration” on the TD-LTE network and compatible products, China Mobile Chairman Wang Jianzhou said in an interview. “We discussed this issue with Apple. We hope Apple will produce a new iPhone with TD-LTE. We have already got a positive answer from Apple.”
China Mobile’s homegrown third-generation TD-SCDMA network technology isn’t compatible with current iPhones. Still, China Mobile attracted 8.5 million iPhone users to its second-gen network, Wang said. Those users either accept slower Internet connections on the 2G network, or access the Web over the company’s Wi-Fi network, notes “Bloomberg.”
The carrier got regulatory approval in December for limited trials of the TD-LTE network, which the company has said it aims to roll out for commercial use starting in 2012, the article adds. Read more at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-15/china-mobile-apple-aim-for-close-collaboration-wang-says.html .