China Unicom has yet to strike a deal for the iPhone, but more evidence has emerged that the device will soon be seen in the Chinese market.
The state-owned Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center has published images of the 3G iPhone, indicating that its has passed technical tests and is close to obtaining a network access license from MITT.
The electronics news portal IT.com.cn said the model shown was the A1324, an 8GB W-CDMA phone without the Wi-Fi function. It does not bear China Unicom’s logo or other marks.
The A1324 is likely to hit the market early next month while another model, the iPhone 3GS A1325, is likely to be released later, the report said. A search in the database of the MIIT’s radio management center revealed that the A1324 and the A1325 have both passed frequency-related tests that are valid for five years.
China Unicom has denied reports from China Business News last week which claimed the carrier had bought 5 million iPhone handsets at $293 per unit.
Unicom’s press office said that the company was still in talks with Apple over bringing the iPhone into China.