iPhone gets necessary approval from China Radio Management agency for use on China Telecom

Apple is set to launch the iPhone in China and 21 other markets this Friday, Jan. 13. As of yet, the device is only confirmed to launch on China Unicom, the nation’s second-largest wireless carrier and currently the sole provider of the iPhone in the country. However, a new report from a Chinese agency website (via The Wall Street Journal) claimed the iPhone received necessary approval from the China Radio Management agency for use on China’s third largest mobile operator by subscribers, China Telecom.

The report listed the device only as model number A1387, but also it listed network compatibility as “CDMA-2000,” the same technology used by China Telecom, and not China Unicom. The listing also said the new model supports “WCDMA,” which might indicate Apple will release a device that works on both China Unicom’s and China Telecom’s networks. The Wall Street Journal claimed that Apple could finish the necessary approval process within weeks:

While the website only identifies the phone by a model number, A1387, it says the phone is compatible with “CDMA-2000,” the third-generation mobile technology used by China Telecom. An employee reached by phone at the agency on Monday confirmed that the device had been approved… If Apple is indeed taking the phone through the usual regulatory steps, the process could be finished in a matter of weeks.

According to a report from Bloomberg, China Telecom closed at HK$4.21, a 3.9 percent drop (its biggest drop since Oct. 28) in anticipation of China Unicom’s exclusive iPhone 4S launch this Friday.