China Unicom hits a million 3G users, only sells 5,000 iPhones so far

Nearly six months after large-scale trials kicked off, China Unicom -- the only carrier among China's nationals to be deploying HSPA -- has broken the magical million-subscriber mark that have made the leap to its "Wo" 3G network. If you're wondering whether the recent launch of the iPhone on Wo has contributed to that count, the answer is a definitive "no" -- amazingly, a mere 5,000 units have apparently been sold so far, likely due to the phone's prohibitive cost and the availability of unlocked devices and interesting alternatives. Be that as it may, the carrier seems convinced that the iPhone will contribute to Unicom's bottom line in the fourth quarter, countered by continued marketing and build-out costs for Wo. Networks aren't cheap -- particularly when you're dealing with a country the size (and population density) of China.

[Po Posted Nov 3rd 2009 3:52PM]

The iPhone in China probably costs the same as buying some island there...

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 3rd 2009 7:55PM]

A private island that doesn't let you use WiFI.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 3rd 2009 9:28PM]

a) there is little to no land ownership allowed in PRC
b) Most rich people prefer S60 [ 5800 / E71/ N95 8GB ]
c) Ministry of Industry and Information Technology are the goons forcing Nokia and Apple to break or remove wifi

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 4th 2009 8:27AM]

They have to face Meizu M8 too, and soon Meizu M8 3G which price just 1/3 of Iphone

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 4th 2009 11:27AM]

The iPhone is damn expensive there. I'd buy one from somewhere else as well.