That means Apple is getting near to the moment when iPhones will be available on the world’s largest carrier; obtaining such a permit has always been an indication that a release date is imminent.
AppleInsider suggests that this date might be only a few weeks away. The Cupertino based company has many reasons to open the Champagne bottles as its highly praised handset will be available to more than 120 million potential customers in the most treasured foreign market.
The licence was not easily obtainable, considering that the iPhone 4S, despite it being advertised as a “world phone” compatible with both GSM and CDMA networks, is not specifically designed to work on China Telecom’s 3G network.
However, the iPhone model that the Chinese authorities approved has a certain mystery surrounding it. The reports are that the new CDMA 2000 compatible iPhone, classified as model number A1387 by China’s Radio Management agency, could be a modified iPhone 4S or may even be an older model.