14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier China Unicom, one of the three large operators in China and the only one to offer the Apple iPhone to mobile phone users in the country, is expected to start selling Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone devices this Monday. The currently available version of the device does not include this feature, even if there are a large number of wireless hotspots in the country.
China Unicom started selling the Apple iPhone in China back in October 2009, but the government requested for the Wi-Fi capabilities of the device to be removed. It seems that the existence of a very large number of free wireless hotspots in the country would be the main reason for this. The Chinese government is believed to fear that wireless carriers' revenues would be diminished if handsets packed the feature.
Currently, the Wi-Fi-less iPhone models that are available for purchase in the Chinese market include the 8GB version of iPhone 3G, as well as the 16GB and 32GB flavors of iPhone 3GS.
Recently, Apple released a new, 8GB version of iPhone 3GS, which includes Wi-Fi capabilities, and which should arrive in China on Monday, a China Unicom official familiar with the situation said recently, a recent article on the Wall Street Journal reads. However, it seems that Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu did not confirm whether the device would arrive in China or not.
The sales of iPhone at China Unicom haven't been so great, mainly due to the lack of wireless Internet capabilities. The handset was available on the gray market with this feature enabled, something that might have also affected the sales. The launch of a Wi-Fi-enabled iPhone 3GS should help China Unicom boost sales, and the same might happen if it launched the iPhone 4, as the carrier says it is negotiating with Apple the release of this model too. The iPad is also expected to arrive in the country, it seems.