China Mobile iPhone negotiations again underway

The problem that the original iPhone had in cracking the potentially lucrative Chinese market was that it came leashed with a now-unreasonable revenue-sharing business model from Cupertino. China Mobile (NYSE: CHL) wasn’t too keen on sharing revenue on a handset that it couldn’t be guaranteed would be a China Mobile exclusive.

Now, with the iPhone 3G following more traditional and accepted subsidization practices, Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) and China Mobile are reportedly past the “biggest hurdle” standing in the way of the iPhone Chinese aspirations.

“Apple is no longer insisting on a revenue-sharing policy, so the biggest hurdle for China Mobile to bring in the iPhone has been cleared, but there are practical issues still to be resolved,” said China Mobile spokeswoman Rainie Lei.

But, there is, as of yet, no timetable for introducing the iPhone to mainland China. Cross your fingers, China. With a little luck, you’ll have an iPhone in hand before the year’s out. That is, if China’s oppressive censorship doesn’t get in the way first.

[Via: Reuters]