Apple, China Mobile expect more fruitful cooperation

Two days ahead of the scheduled entry of iPhone into the world's biggest mobile network, Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook and China Mobile Chairman Xi Guohua said there is a lot more to come from the two companies.

"I really see today as a beginning not the end. Our work just begins," said Cook, who believes cooperation between Apple and China Mobile will bring Apple customers "exceptional experiences".

Cook flew to Beijing earlier this week. He and Xi made their first public appearance together on Wednesday since their companies announced an agreement on Dec. 23.

Pre-orders of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c since Christmas have been very encouraging, said Xi, whose company serves 760 million customers.

He said customers were appealed by the 4G service that China Mobile promises to provide with iPhone models from Jan. 17.

Xi admitted that China Mobile will subsidize the iPhone handsets but within budget.

"We have not yet decided how much to subsidize, but we have a budget control," said the chairman.

China Mobile, which has lagged behind in 3G competition, received its 4G license from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology last month.

As the world's largest mobile services provider by network scale and subscriber base, China Mobile has been ambitiously rolling out the world's biggest 4G network. It plans to expand its 4G network to at least 340 cities by the end of 2014.

Xi said cooperation between the two companies will not just be limited to smartphones.

"China Mobile and Apple are newly wedded after six years of courtship," said Xi, "our married life just begins."

"The ICT (information and communications technology) era with new technologies mushrooming leaves us a lot to imagine and to create," he said.

Cook plans to make China one of Apple's premiere markets.

"China is a very very important geography for Apple, not only for its size but for many other reasons as well," said Cook.

According to Cook, sales of iPhones in greater China in the last quarter hit a record high. And 57 percent of mobile browsing traffic during the same period was from IOS.

He said the "incredible" data regardless of unit share was because people in China are using more Apple products.

Since he became CEO of Apple in 2011, Cook has frequently visited China. In 2013 alone, he visited twice and negotiated with China Mobile.

China's two other major operators, China Unicom and China Telecom, are already Apple partners. But their subscribers can not compete with that of China Mobile.