China Mobile will spend $6.7 billion on 4G network, preparing for next-gen iPhone?

As reported by Reuters, China Mobile has announced it will inject US$6.7 billion into upgrading its network to 4G TD-LTE technology. The announcement comes as part of a wider $30.1 billion upgrade as well as anticipation that Apple's next iPhone will arrive on its network, supporting the 4G TD-LTE technology.

As confirmed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, China Mobile announced it will be rolling out 4G TD-LTE in over 100 cities across China, bringing fast mobile Internet access to an estimated 500 million customers.

China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile carrier, with 715 million subscribers, currently uses an inferior 3G (TD-SCDMA) technology, which is not fully compatible with the current iPhone, unlike the networks of its smaller rivals, China Unicorn and China Telecom.

With the announcement of Qualcomm's RF360 Front-End Solution (a worldwide one-size-fits-all 4G solution), which is widely expected to be used in Apple's next iPhone, coupled with China Mobile's network upgrade to 4G, Apple could be poised for some significant iPhone sales in China over the coming years.

[Via Apple Insider]