Apple to open eSIM-only iPhone Air preorders in mainland China

Apple will open preorders for its eSIM-only iPhone Air in mainland China on October 17, with in-store sales and deliveries set to begin on October 22, the company said, following regulatory approval that clears the way for commercial eSIM service trials by the country’s three largest carriers. The move ends a weeks-long delay in the mainland launch that stemmed from a requirement for local telecom operators to support embedded subscriber identity module technology before eSIM-only phones could be sold.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology authorized trial eSIM services for China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, and the carriers confirmed they have begun preparations for commercial operations. Apple’s China website listed preorders starting at 9 a.m. local time on October 17, with prices beginning at 7,999 yuan, about US$1,120.

The iPhone Air, unveiled globally in September, replaces a physical SIM slot with eSIM functionality, a design change that regulators and carriers in China had not yet cleared for wide use. Officials and industry sources said the recent approvals remove the principal regulatory barrier that forced Apple to postpone the mainland...