Apple Still Awaiting License to Launch iPhone 6 in China

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Apple’s new iPhone 6 had been given regulatory approval for use on domestic frequencies. However, the Cupertino giant is still awaiting a critical network license from the regulators before it can sell the new smartphone in one of the its most important markets, Reuters is reporting.

The iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus launch delay in China has hit shares of both Apple and domestic telecom carriers in the country. The source highlights that Apple’s silence suggests it may be facing difficulty obtaining the requisite licenses from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which tests phones before they may enter national telecom networks, a process that usually takes one to two months.

“Uncertainty over the iPhone’s release comes at a time when Apple’s business increasingly relies on China, which now carries the company’s phones on all of its three telecom carriers: China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom Hong Kong. The Cupertino, California-based company said iPhone sales in China grew 50 percent during the April to June period from a year ago, effectively salvaging an otherwise lackluster quarter. The strong sales came despite signs that Chinese consumers were waiting for the next-generation iPhone 6, analysts said.”

Apple has so far not issued any comment about the iPhone 6’s China launch, aside from saying it is working to bring the device to the market “as soon as possible”.