Tag Archives: chl

Qualcomm May See Gain From China Mobile 4G Strategy

China Mobile’s (CHL) move to require mobile-phone makers to support five wireless transmission modes for 4G devices could give Qualcomm (QCOM) a royalty boost and might also be part of a China Mobile strategy to make its TD-LTE a global standard, says Goldman Sachs in a report. Mobile phone makers have been building 4G devices that support three wireless transmission modes — TD-LTE, TD-SCDMA and GSM. TD-LTE is China’s version of superfast 4G

With no more carriers to conquer, Apple’s Tim Cook wept

After years of negotiations, Apple (AAPL) on Friday finally started selling iPhones through China Mobile (CHL), the world’s largest wireless carrier. The launch will test the consumer appetite for high-end smartphones in a market that has embraced lower-cost Google (GOOG)  Android handsets from Samsung and others. China Mobile was the last major piece to Apple’s iPhone distribution map. One would be forgiven for thinking that Apple   (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook wept like Alexander the Great upon realizing he had no more worlds to conquer. But signing up China Mobile is just the start of a new battle for market share in China, where Apple is in fifth place or lower, based on recent reports. China Mobile received pre-orders for 1.3 million iPhones, Reuters said Friday. An estimated 45 million China Mobile subscribers already use the iPhone through “gray market” purchases of the handset. China Mobile has 763 million subscribers, with 181 million using its 3G network. Apple’s iPhone will work on China Mobile’s 3G network and its new 4G network. Media reports have noted that China Mobile iPhones are quite expensive

Apple could be overcompensating with China Mobile PR push

Apple has gone on a PR offensive days ahead of China Mobile selling its iPhone. Apple CEO Tim Cook has given interviews to the Wall Street Journal, CNBC and Chinese media to tout Apple’s long-awaited partnership with China Mobile, announced Dec. 22. He hyped the deal by calling it a “watershed moment” for Apple and cryptically saying it involved more than iPhones. The move is uncharacteristic for Apple (AAPL) . Usually it’s content to sit back and let advertising and organic media coverage do the work of promoting its product launches. But with China its most important market after the U.S., Apple is being more proactive with this launch. Apple and China Mobile (CHL) said pre-orders for the iPhone have topped 1 million units. “To announce the official start of the iPhones shipping to China Mobile beginning Friday, Mr. Cook traveled to Beijing and held a rare briefing with China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua to highlight the significance of the deal,” the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. “Mr. Xi said the alliance would involve more than just collaboration on handsets and would be ‘broad,’ without elaborating.”