More than 700 million China Mobile’s users will be able to use the latest iPhones and high-speed data networks without changing their numbers from next month under a deal the world’s biggest mobile carrier has signed with Apple Inc to officially and finally introduce iPhones.

China Mobile and Apple will launch iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C on January 17 — two weeks before the Spring Festival, both sides said yesterday.

The two versions will be available for pre-ordering on China Mobile’s website or through hotline 10086 from tomorrow — Christmas Day.

The financial details of the deal or the price of the iPhones were not revealed.

“China is an extremely important market for Apple and our partnership with China Mobile presents us the opportunity to bring iPhone to the customers of the world’s largest network,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

“We can’t think of a better way to welcome in the Chinese New Year than getting an iPhone into the hands of every China Mobile customer.”

China Mobile sees Apple’s iPhones as necessary and essential in its 4G phone portfolio.

The telco said last week that it intends to sell 100 million 4G phones with TD-LTE technology next year.

The deal, which took six years to negotiate, is expected to change the landscape of China’s mobile communications market, the world’s No. 1 with more than 1.2 billion users, analysts said.

China Mobile was the only Chinese carrier not to offer customers the iPhone up to now due to compatibility issues with the carrier’s 3G wireless technology, known as TD-SCDMA.

The latest iPhones support the TD-LTE 4G technology.

China Mobile may see new iPhone sales increase to 23 million in 2014, Katy Huberty, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, wrote in a recent note.

On December 4, regulators awarded 4G wireless licences to China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, removing the final stumbling block to a deal that industry observers had long expected.

China Mobile is on track to complete building 500,000 4G base stations nationwide by the end of next year.