Chinese telecom operator China Unicom has announced that it will formally start to sell Apple's iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS handsets in mainland China from October 30, 2009.

Prior to this announcement, China Unicom launched a 24-month contract program for the iPhone products. Binding with a two-year iPhone contract, consumers will gain preferential offers when buying iPhone products and services. Recently, China Unicom announced prices for iPhones without binding contracts, which are CNY4,999 for the iPhone 3G 8GB handset, CNY5,880 for the iPhone 3GS 16GB handset, and CNY6,999 for the iPhone 3GS 32GB handset.

After the formal launch of iPhones in mainland China, China Unicom will sell those without binding contracts via various channels, including its own business halls, its online store, major social handset sales channels, and Apple's specialty stores in China, for the convenient purchase of consumers.

For after-sale service issues, which are an important focus of consumers, China Unicom said it will work together with Apple for the launch of nationwide after-sale services. These services will strictly follow the industry standards and China's rules for repairs, replacements, and refunds.