China Mobile, the world's largest wireless service provider, will begin offering the iPhone this week, according to a report.
The telecom, which claims some 740 million subscribers, advertised the iPhone on its website, according to The Wall Street Journal on Monday. However, as of 9 a.m. ET on Monday, any reference to the device on the site had disappeared. A customer service representative for the carrier confirmed to Journal that China Mobile will begin offering the iPhone on Thursday. A spokesman declined comment.
See also: Top 25 Free iPhone Apps of All Time
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that China Mobile signed a deal with Apple to offer the iPhone. A rep for the telecom disputed the report, stating the talks with Apple were "ongoing."
Fueling speculation, China Mobile plans to begin offering 4G service on Dec. 18. Though China Mobile, which has seven times the number of customers as Verizon Wireless, doesn't officially offer the iPhone, some 15 million customers have used unlocked iPhones to access the network.
With the official introduction, analysts estimate that Apple can sell up to 40 million more iPhones in 2014. The stock analysis service Trefis predicts that Apple can add 20 million customers, increasing its market capitalization by $45 billion.
Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images