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"Despite all the expectations for Apple to announce a deal with China Mobile today, given that Apple held a separate media event in Beijing\u00A0shortly after its\u00A0main event\u00A0in the US on the 10th, the long-awaited and potentially hugely-significant deal has not materialized. Yet.\r\n\r\nChina Mobile and Japan's largest carrier NTT Docomo have been two major carrier hold-outs for Apple -- and given that\u00A0Apple finally announced a deal\u00A0with Docomo, China Mobile was\u00A0conspicuously absent from\u00A0Apple\u2019s event\u00A0on Tuesday.\r\n\r\nJUST IN:\u00A0Apple gains regulatory approval to finally work with China Mobile\r\n\r\nOnce Tim Cook appeared at the Cupertino headquarters to unveil the new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c though, it was a strong sign that no China Mobile deal would be announced in Beijing today -- as China Mobile would definitely want the Apple CEO present to show the company some 'face' for a ceremonial launch.\r\nApple's problems with the unique China Mobile network\r\nRumors of an Apple/China Mobile partnership have been around for years. This time round, it seems all but confirmed that Apple will soon announce a deal with the carrier -- with the WSJ citing sources as saying that the iPhone 5c would be sold on China Mobile. The only question seems to be when.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nThe one factor that may be holding Apple back from launching the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s on China Mobile right now looks to be a simple one: logistics. In more detail, that refers to network logistics.\r\n\r\nApple has not been able to offer the iPhone on China Mobile primarily because it has been unable to support the operator\u2019s unique TD-SCDMA 3G network -- as\u00A0the TD standard is one that is used by the operator for its 3G and 4G networks, and no others worldwide.\r\n\r\nHowever, with the improvement of chip technology (as noted in a column by the South China Morning Post late last year) -- in particular the rollout of Qualcomm's TD chips that support TD-LTE -- Apple now has the technology to be compatible with China Mobile's network.\r\n\r\nThere is a huge but though: China has not launched its 4G network. This is almost certainly why Apple cannot launch its iPhones on China Mobile yet.\r\n\r\nFor proof that the TD-LTE models exist, Apple's Hong Kong official website has already listed support for TD-LTE in two models of its latest iPhones --\u00A0iPhone 5s A1530\u00A0and\u00A0iPhone 5c A1529, as\u00A0spotted by Tencent Tech\u00A0today.\r\n\r\nThese models are not available in China yet, as the Apple China site only lists two models for iPhone 5s: A1533 and A1528, and another two models for iPhone 5c: A1532 and A1526.\r\n\r\nThe presence of these TD-LTE iPhone models, however, is evidence that it is only a matter of time before they get rolled out in China -- all that Apple and China Mobile can do now is wait for the government to issue the 4G license officially.\r\niPhone 5s and iPhone 5c could launch on China Mobile in November\r\nThere is hope that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will land on China Mobile within this year.\u00A0Currently China is moving toward rolling out its 4G service, with many indications that the government is going to issue a 4G license by the end of this year.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nAll smartphones imported to China must be certified to use wireless networks via\u00A0radio communication device regulator\u00A0TENAA, and, as Chinese media reported last weekend, four smartphones have been approved by the regulator for TD-LTE (China's 4G service) compatibility.\r\n\r\nThe four phones are: Huawei's\u00A0D2-6070, ZTE's U9815, Sony's M35t and Samsung's GT-N7108D. Each was reportedly approved on August 30 and support\u00A0TD-LTE/ FDD/ TDS/ GSM.\r\n\r\nThe TD-LTE versions of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were also cleared by TENAA on August 30 -- with the models listed on Apple's Hong Kong official website included among them, but that fact only surfaced today.\r\n\r\nOnce the 4G license is issued in China, Apple will be able to launch the iPhones with TD-LTE capability on China Mobile's network -- which, according to Tencent Tech, will likely happen in November. This means the Apple/China Mobile partnership may only go live in November at the earliest, though it is possible that an announcement may come before the actual launch.\r\nBoth China Mobile and Apple will benefit from a partnership\r\nThere are benefits for both China Mobile and Apple upon inking a deal, and it makes sense that both companies would want to see this partnership go through.\r\n\r\nBeing present on the world's largest carrier -- with over 740 million customers -- would significantly widen Apple\u2019s reach and sales efforts in China\u2019s mobile market. On the other hand, a deal would help China Mobile compete on a more even keel with China Unicom and China Telecom, both of which are existing Apple partners.\r\n\r\nHeadline Image Credit: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images, other images via Getty Images and Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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