Apple iPhone Compatible With China Telecom Network Gets Regulatory Nod

A version of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone compatible with China Telecom Corp.'s (CHA) mobile network received a network access license in China, a regulatory website showed, a key step toward Apple being able to sell the device there.

An iPhone that supports the CDMA-2000 mobile technology used by China Telecom received the license on Tuesday, the website of China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center showed,

An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. China Telecom didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.

China Telecom has expressed interest in offering Apple devices, and company chairman Wang Xiaochu in March last year cited a confidential agreement with Apple as the reason he couldn't comment on whether China Telecom would offer the iPhone or iPad.

Rival mobile carrier China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. (CHU) already offers the iPhone, including the iPhone 4S model that both it and Apple started offering in China last week.

-By Owen Fletcher, Dow Jones Newswires; 8610 8400 7702; owen.fletcher@dowjones.com

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