China Unicom offers $10 monthly iPhone plan amid stiff competition

China Unicom is trying to grab additional customers before its exclusivity with the iPhone ends. The wireless carrier is kicking off a new promotion that drops the price on its lowest iPhone plan to a rock bottom 66 yuan (US$10) a month.

Right now, its larger rivals China Mobile and China Telecom do not sell the iPhone with a service contract, but may do so in the near future. Both carriers are rumored to be in talks with Apple to bring the iPhone to their respective networks.

There is little doubt that Apple would like to get the iPhone into the hands of as many people as possible, especially in China where over 900 million people use a mobile phone. Quarterly results also show iPhone sales are exploding in this Asian-Pacific region, and Apple surely wants to capitalize on its early success.