WSJ: Apple Has Modified Its iPhone To Support China Telecom’s CDMA-2000 Network

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iPhone-4-china-telecom

The Wall Street Journal reports Apple may have developed a modified version of its iPhone compatible with China Telecom’s “CDMA-2000” network. The device is set to make its debut in China this Friday, but as things currently stand, it’s to be exclusive to China Unicom.

The new device sports the model number A1387, according to the report, and it has recently been approved by China’s Radio Management agency, “which certifies radio-signal-emitting devices for use in the country,” The Wall Street Journal explains.

It’s unclear which iPhone China Telecom may get, however. It could be the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4, or even the third-generation iPhone 3GS. It seems more likely it will be Apple’s latest iPhone, which is marketed by the Cupertino company as a “world phone.”

We also have little indication as to when the device will arrive. As the report notes, devices like the iPhone must get other certifications, such as a network access license, before being sold in China.

China Telecom is the country’s third-largest carrier, with approximately 300 million subscribers. It seems inevitable, then, that the iPhone would be modified for the network at some point, just like it was for Verizon in the United States.

[via App Advice]

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