OPENING THE DOOR

Apple, China Mobile Team Up

To sell iPhones in China.

IPhone reception could soon get a lot better in China. Apple and China Mobile announced Monday they had signed a long-awaited agreement to sell iPhones in China, opening up the country’s largest mobile network to the U.S. giant. Pricing and availability for the iPhone 5S and 5C will be disclosed at a later date, Apple said. The phones will be available for China Mobile users starting Jan. 17. China is the second-largest market for iPhones after the U.S., but sales have been lagging behind competitors and this deal will give access to China Mobile’s 760 million-customer base. China Mobile estimated it had about 45 million iPhone users on its network, but they could only use 2G wireless speeds.