China Unicom acquired the network-access license number for Apple's iPhone 4 on Tuesday, which means the iPhone 4 should be launched in the Chinese market soon, according to China Telecommunication Technology Labs (CTTL) of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT).

Apple Inc. started to sell the iPhone 4 on June 24 in the U.S., and later expanded to other countries and regions. The price for a 16-GB iPhone in Hong Kong is now 4,988 HK dollars (US$641.83).

According to China Unicom, the iPhone 4 is expected to support the 3.5G high-speed network transmission and China's local WAPI standard. Some video software such as Youtube, which are not supported by Chinese networks, will be deleted, but the software of FaceTime video call will be reserved.

An insider from China Unicom said its management team went to the U.S. for a final negotiation with Apple Inc. in the end of August, and the branches of China Unicom are conducting the training for the launch of the iPhone 4, which is scheduled at the end of this month. Its expected contract price is no less than 5,000 yuan (US$735.45).

China's business press carried the story above on Wednesday. China.org.cn has not checked the stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.