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Aug 12 2009	Full PDF Version

The Apple has landed: iPhone comes to China without Wi-Fi

? Apple's iPhone is now finally set to make its official debut in China in October. Apple's partner China Unicom is reported to sell 5 million iPhone in the coming 3 years. However the Wi-Fi function on the handset has been disabled by Apple, which followed MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) strictures that Wi-Fi be removed from all phones. ? MIIT approved sales of Wi-Fi handsets in May provided that WAPI is built in the handset, paving way for dual mode WAPI and Wi-Fi phones such as the Motorola A3100 which has since been launched. Future releases of the iPhone slated for 2010 are expected to include both WLAN technologies. ? BDA forecasts that the number of WLAN (WAPI/Wi-Fi dual mode) handsets sold will climb from 800,000 units in 2009 to 55.2 million units in 2013 (excluding smuggled phones), representing a 5-year CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 188.2%. ? The development since 2008 of ‘dual mode' WAPI/Wi-Fi has been made possible by the entry to the market of global vendors including large chipset vendors. ? 2009 will see a significant growth in the number of WLAN hotspots installed by China's telecom carriers, of whom China Telecom has made the most significant investments in WLAN. ? iPhone will benefit most from the authorization of WLAN handset sales and the mobile internet boom. BDA forecasts the iPhone will take a 10%-15% share of the Chinese smartphone market and a higher proportion of the high-end sector (priced above RMB 2,000 or USD 292) in the next few years.

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