Unicom to offer iPhone with Wi-Fi in China next week

China Unicom (CHU.NYSE, 600050.SH, 0762.HK) plans to start selling a version of Apple’s (AAPL.NASDAQ) iPhone with Wi-Fi capability next week, a move that could help boost Unicom’s sales of the device, the Wall Street Journal reported. The iPhones that Unicom has offered in China so far come with the wireless function disabled to comply with previous government regulations, making it less attractive to buyers. Unicom’s sales of the device began with a slow start late last year in a market already crowded with "gray market" iPhones brought into China from other regions. The mobile carrier also said it is in discussions with Apple to offer the iPhone 4 and the iPad, but Apple has not announced plans to bring those products to China. Unicom presently stocks an eight-gigabyte version of the iPhone 3G, and 16-gigabyte and 32-gigabyte versions of the iPhone 3GS, all without Wi-Fi function.