The iPhone helped China Mobile add more high-speed data users in January than at any time in its history. The company added 14 million new 3G subscribers in the company’s first month as an Apple carrier partner.
The world’s largest wireless carrier saw 3G subscriptions increase by 7.4 percent in January, more than 25 percent higher than its sub-6-percent growth rate in December. The numbers were revealed in a Thursday morning note to investors, obtained by AppleInsider, from Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White.
China Mobile began offering the iPhone to its customers on January 17. Although there are no official numbers, it is estimated that Apple shipped nearly 2 million iPhones to China Mobile to cover January’s sales.
China Mobile’s main competitors, China Unicom and China Telecom fared less well, with China Unicom seeing a 3.2% increase month-over-month, and China Telecom staying flat for the period.
