Apple is willing to develop new iPhones equipped with China Mobile's fourth-generation technology so that the world's most popular smartphone can work better with the telco which boasts the world's biggest user base, China Mobile said yesterday.

The telco is in talks with Apple to launch iPhones using the 4G technology TD-LTE (time division-long term evolution), whose speed is 20 to 30 times faster than the current 3G networks, said Wang Jianzhou, China Mobile's chairman.

But no further details were available.

Apple China, however, declined to comment on the issue.

China Mobile plans to start commercial trials of TD-LTE services at the beginning of next year. The 4G technology is being tested in six cities on the Chinese mainland, including Shanghai.

According to a Jefferies Co's recent research note, China Mobile will become one of Apple's new partners soon.

The possible cooperation between Apple and China Mobile will help the telco to cement its dominance in the world's biggest telecommunications market. China Mobile now has more than 70 percent share of the market, which has 850 million mobile phone users.

China Unicom, the country's second-biggest mobile operator, is the mainland's sole partner of Apple on the iPhone, which uses the 3G WCDMA technology.