“Inside sources at China Unicom claim the wireless carrier’s executives recently ended a successful negotiation session with Apple regarding the next-generation iPhone and expect the handset to launch on the network by the end of the year,” AppleInsider reports. “Employees claiming knowledge of the Chinese carrier’s plans said China Unicom Deputy General Manager Li Gang and other unnamed executives concluded a successful August visit to the U.S., the result being a possible earlier than usual release of Apple’s much-anticipated smartphone, reports Sohu IT.”

“China Unicom, the nation’s second-largest carrier behind the world’s largest wireless operator China Mobile, has been an Apple partner since 2009 after signing on to a three-year deal to sell the iPhone. Apple also reached an agreement with China Telecom to sell the handset in February,” AppleInsider reports. “China Mobile has yet to strike a deal to bring the iPhone to its 600 million subscribers, however a report in February rekindled rumors that the wireless monolith would soon carry the device on its 4G TD-LTE network.”

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