China Unicom Chairman Chang Xiaobing (Sina Weibo) (Sina Technology Image)
[Communications Industry Network] On March 5, it was reported that Chang Xiaobing, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and chairman of China Unicom, recently stated that China Telecom’s (Sina Weibo) inclusion in the iPhone lineup will intensify market competition, and everyone should be mentally prepared for this. At the same time, he added that this is a normal phenomenon; the telecommunications market itself is a highly competitive market.
Chang Xiaobing indicated that the iPhone was originally exclusive to Unicom, but now Telecom has also joined in. A variety of competitive scenarios may emerge. "The Chinese market is very large. Unicom will sell its own products, and Telecom will sell theirs," he said.
It is understood that China Unicom officially launched the iPhone 4S in January this year, while China Telecom also announced that it would officially launch the iPhone 4S domestically on March 9, with pre-orders starting on March 2.
Notably, in June 2009, China Unicom reached a three-year cooperation agreement with Apple. China Unicom became Apple's largest partner in terms of shipments in mainland China over the past nearly three years. Both parties achieved mutually beneficial cooperation results in brand enhancement, user development, and channel expansion. As the three-year cooperation agreement period approaches, the renewal of a new agreement between China Unicom and Apple has attracted attention from all sides.
In response to this, Chang Xiaobing stated that cooperation with Apple will continue to deepen and will not be affected by Telecom's entry.
Previously, at the 2012 Global Mobile World Congress, Lu Yimin, general manager of China Unicom, also expressed that "the cooperation between China Unicom and Apple is good, and both parties are relatively satisfied. Therefore, there is no doubt about signing a new agreement."
(Luocheng)