Apple Inc. (AAPL), China Mobile Deal Expected Next Year: Analyst

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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has a bevy of growth drivers on its proverbial doorstep, though the most important may be a potential deal with mobile carrier China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE:CHL).

Originally reported by Apple Insider, Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets mentioned in a note to clients, that “China Mobile’s 3G subscriber growth has been hurting because the carrier does not offer Apple’s iPhone,” periphrastically speaking. In the note, White had this to say:

“China Mobile is the only major carrier in China that does not have a relationship with Apple to sell the iPhone […] We still expect Apple and China Mobile to announce an agreement for the iPhone in 2013.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)

White notes that there is a major discrepancy between China Mobile’s wireless presence in the country – about 64% of the market – and its 3G presence, which accounts for just 37% of activity. In a time when China’s total number of 3G subscribers has grown close to 90% since last December, it’s crucial China Mobile reaches a deal with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) to keep pace with China Unicom Ltd (NYSE:CHU) and China Telecom Corp. (NYSE:CHA), which started selling the iPhone 5 earlier this month (see how the launch stacked up).

So what does China Mobile’s CEO have to say about a potential deal?

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