China Mobile Phone Unicom bullish on iPhone sales

Nov. 23, 2009 - PRLog -- Many Chinese users are hesitant to subscribe to China Unicom, as they want to retain their original phone numbers, which is not transferable, according to the current regulation.

An analyst from one of the world's biggest market trackers feels that sales of iPhone are expected to touch 60,000 to 70,000 in China this month. He expects iPhone to account for nearly 5 percent of China's smartphone market by next year. "But the product's further growth will be largely limited due to China Unicom's high pricing," said the analyst, who declined to be named.

Wang Yuquan, a senior consultant from research firm Frost & Sullivan, said Unicom's pricing of iPhone is too high even for business users in China. He said such a pricing strategy, as well as lack of WiFi function, would spur grey market sales of iPhone in the country currently estimated at around 2 million units.

Since its debut in 2007, iPhone now has a 17.1 percent share of the global smartphone market in the third quarter of this year, according to research firm Gartner.

That makes it the third largest cellphone provider after Nokia and Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM).

China Unicom had 1.02 million 3G subscribers as of the end of October, the company's Hong Kong-listed arm said in a regulatory filing on Nov 19.

From: http://www.onthesource.com/cell-phones-mobile-phones/