The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced Thursday its final approval of the network access license for two iPhone 5 models, clearing the last regulatory hurdle for both China Unicom and China Telecom by supporting their 3G standards.
The ministry's approval may signal an upcoming arrival of the iPhone 5 in the mainland market.
The number of mobile phone users in China reached 1.1 billion by October 31, official figures showed Thursday.
Global Times