China Unicom (0762.HK), the country's No.2 mobile carrier, said on Tuesday it had signed up over 1 million 3G subscribers and that the launch of Apple's (AAPL.O) iPhone will boost revenue in the fourth quarter.
In August, Unicom signed a three-year non-exclusive deal to sell Apple's popular iPhone in China, aiming to boost its launch of 3G services this year, but the pricey handset may eventually require more subsidies to achieve wider acceptance.
Chairman Chang Xiaobing and other executives also said the company had already signed up 5,000 iPhone subscribers, but did not give a forecast for how much the iconic handset would help its top line.
All three carriers in China have been under pressure since late last year when they initiated a $58.5 billion plan to build 3G networks capable of carrying more data and multimedia content to the world's largest wireless market. [ID:nPEK343905]
Rivals China Mobile (0941.HK), the world's No.1 mobile carrier, and China Telecom (0728.HK) reported disappointing quarterly earnings.
