China Telecom launches iPhone 4S to 200,000 pre-orders
updated 09:40 am EST, Fri March 9, 2012
Demand better than expected, carrier says
Over 200,000 pre-orders were made for today's launch of the China Telecom iPhone 4S, according to MIC Gadget. Of these, more than 10,000 were placed in Beijing; over 20,000 were made in Shanghai. Telecom claims that demand for the 4S has been higher than expected.
The company is just the second official iPhone carrier in China, the rest of the local market being controlled by China Unicom. The country's largest carrier, China Mobile, has some 15 million iPhone users despite not being partnered with Apple. iPhones on the Mobile network are limited to 2G data, and frequently come from gray-market sources.
Telecom is offering a 16GB 4S for free under a two-year contract costing 389 yuan ($62) per month. Jumping to three years reduces the monthly fee to 289 yuan ($45). A 489 yuan plan includes a 32GB phone for free, or even a free 64GB model under a three-year contract.
