Apple's New iPhones Support China Mobile's TD-LTE Band
by Joe White
September 11, 2013
Though a deal with China Mobile hasn't yet been announced, both of Apple's forthcoming iPhone handsets support the carrier's rather unique TD-LTE wireless band, suggesting that a deal is in the works.
Both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will launch with support for TD-LTE, according to specifications outlined at Apple's website. Since few carriers apart from China Mobile actually use TD-LTE technology, it's anticipated that the new iPhones' support for the band could be indicative of a deal with the world's largest carrier.
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal confirmed that Apple had signed a deal with China Mobile, and that the carrier would be selling the iPhone 5c. However, as of this writing, no such deal has been announced.
As a reminder, Apple's market share in China has so far proved to be unimpressive, with low-cost Android-powered handsets capturing most of the country's smartphone market. Apple's iPhone 5c model appears to offer consumers an on-the-go iOS experience at a reduced cost, but whether it'll be "cheap" enough to capture Android deserters of course remains to be seen.
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