china mobile

China may soon see iPad Minis, newest iPads in 3G (and 4G)

Apple might soon launch 3G versions of its fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini in China.

China-based TechWeb reported (translation) today that a cellular version of the iPad and the iPad Mini cleared the country's regulatory hurdles last week, potentially paving the way for the device to launch before long.

Apple launched the Wi-Fi-only versions of the iPad and iPad Mini on December 7. The company previously said it would launch these iPads in China in December, but didn't say if that only applied to the Wi-Fi versions or would also include the cellular models.

According to TechWeb, the … Read more

Apple, China Mobile face hurdles in effort to offer the iPhone

Apple and China Mobile keep talking about providing the iPhone in China, and they keep running into the same stumbling blocks.

The iPhone is already available in China through China Unicom and China Telecom, the country's second and third largest carriers, respectively. But a deal with China Mobile, the biggest carrier, would give Apple access to 700 million more customers.

At China Mobile's Worldwide Developer Conference yesterday, company president Li Yue acknowledged that the carrier has been speaking with Apple since 2009 about a deal to sell the iPhone. A contract was even discussed last year, according to … Read more

Nokia taps into China Mobile gold mine with Lumia 920T

Nokia said today that it would launch a variant of its flagship smartphone, the Lumia 920, specifically for China Mobile.

The Lumia 920T will be the first Windows Phone to run on China Mobile's TD-SCDMA network. The phone is expected to hit the market by the end of the year and sell for 4,599 yuan (about $740).

This latest Nokia phone is important because it should allow the company to tap into China Mobile's more than 700 million customers -- the largest subscriber base in the world. China is an increasingly important market as Nokia hopes to … Read more

China Telecom snags iPhone 5 for late 2012 launch

China Telecom, that country's third-largest carrier, will start offering the iPhone 5 soon.

Apple's iPhone 5 is currently not available in China, but has been rumored to be coming to China Telecom for some time. According to the Wall Street Journal, which interviewed China Telecom chairman Wang Xiaochu today, the carrier will start selling Apple's handset in late November or early December.

China Telecom's competitor, China Unicom, announced in September that it too would be selling the iPhone 5. That company said that it would make the handset available around the end of the year. According … Read more

iPhone 5 comes one step closer to China release

A number of hurdles must be overcome for Apple to be able to sell the iPhone 5 in China. Today, one of those barriers has been conquered and it's looking more likely that Chinese users will soon be able to get their hands on the device.

A Chinese regulatory agency named State Radio Management announced that two models of the iPhone 5 -- the A1429 and the A1442 -- have been approved to run on China's mobile networks, according to Chinese blog Sina Tech. Reportedly, the A1429 supports China Unicom's 3G network and China Mobile's 2G … Read more

Huawei caught up in legal mess over cell equipment sales to Iran

Huawei, the embattled Chinese telecommunications equipment maker, has been caught in a convoluted tale over Iranian cellular sales.

Earlier this year, Huawei purchased cellular antenna equipment from a U.S.-based company, called Andrew LLC, and then through a partner in Iran, attempted to sell those products to a carrier in the Middle Eastern country, Reuters is reporting today, citing documents it obtained from unidentified sources. The carrier apparently cancelled the sale for fear of violating U.S. sanctions.

CNET has contacted Huawei for comment on the Reuters report. We will of course update this story when we have more … Read more

New wave of complaints hound Huawei, ZTE in U.S.

Huawei and ZTE, two of China's largest and most successful mobile companies, are once again under fire in the U.S.

Over the last couple of days, the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee has received "dozens and dozens" of calls complaining about Huawei and ZTE, Reuters is reporting today, citing sources. Many of those calls reportedly came from current and former employees, as well as customers, who report odd behavior in the companies' equipment. It's not clear what sort of "odd" behavior they were witnessing.

Earlier this week, lawmakers on the House Intelligence Committee issued a 52-page reportRead more

iPhone 5 wins regulatory approval in China

The iPhone 5 is now officially certified for China.

Two models of Apple's flagship phone passed 3C (China Compulsory Certificate) certification on Monday, according to Sina Tech.

One goes by the model number A1429, which would be geared for China Unicom's WCDMA network and match up with the Hong Kong version of the iPhone 5, Sina Tech said. The other is model A1442, which would work on China Telecom's CDMA2000 network.

The 3C certification is a mandatory certificate system that inspects and approves various products to be sold in the Chinese market. The iPhone 5 faces two more challenges before it can reach China, … Read more

Huawei to Australia: Give us a break

Huawei, the Chinese mobile company hoping to make its way to the U.S. and elsewhere, expressed disappointment with the Australian government today for not being included in the country's National Broadband Network.

Speaking before the Australian parliamentary intelligence committee, Huawei Australia chairman John Lord said that his company was "disappointed" to learn that it was blocked from participation in the country's $38 billion NBN project. According to Reuters, Lord claimed that Huawei was given no reason for its exclusion and no chance to address any concerns that might have arisen.

A big company -- it … Read more

Acer taps Alibaba's Aliyun OS for new smartphone

Acer has inked a deal with China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, to use its mobile operating system in an upcoming smartphone.

Dubbed the CloudMobile A800, Acer's new smartphone will run Alibaba's Aliyun operating system. The cloud mention fits with Aliyun's deep Web integration, offering everything from Internet-based e-mail, Web search, weather updates, and GPS navigation tools. In addition, Aliyun synchronizes and stores call data, text messages, and photos in the cloud for access across other devices, including PCs.

Alibaba made some waves in the mobile space earlier this week after its chief strategy officer, Zeng Ming, … Read more