Apple says it has signed an agreement with China Mobile Ltd to sell iPhones through the world's biggest network of mobile phone users.

Apple says its smartphones will be available to China Mobile customers starting January the 17th. The long-awaited deal between the two could boost sales, adding billions of dollars to Apple's revenue.

Apple already has agreements with China Telecom Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd., which have about 455 million mobile accounts. Apple and China Mobile, which has about 760 million customers, have had six years of negotiations on the deal.

China Mobile was the only Chinese carrier not to offer customers the iPhone till now due to compatibility issues with the carrier's 3G wireless technology.

Earlier this month, China Mobile received approval from Chinese regulators to start operating the faster 4G network, which the latest iPhone models support.