After subsidizing the iPhone

The promotion starting Jan. 13 offers a 32-gigabyte model with a three-year plan, while a commitment to two years for a monthly fee of 386 yuan allows users to get the 16-gigabyte model, the company known as China Unicom said in a statement on its website yesterday www.cheapburberryoutlet2012.com.

China Unicom, the only one of the nation’s three carriers offering the iPhone with a service contract, is using the handset to woo high-end subscribers who play games and watch online videos using their phones. The user growth comes at a price as Unicom’s 3G subsidy costs in the first half of 2011 ballooned almost fourfold, driven by support for the iPhone.

“After subsidizing the iPhone, the operator will have less money for subsidizing other smartphone users that could be more profitable,” Steven Liu, a Hong Kong-based analyst with Standard Chartered Bank, said in an e-mail today. He rates the shares “underperform” and said the company’s subscriber growth will “slow down despite iPhone.” Burberry wallets, cheap burberry wallet for women 2012 sale.

China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd., the company’s publicly traded unit, fell 1.8 percent to HK$16.34 at the midday break in in Hong Kong, compared with a 1.4 percent drop in the city’s benchmark Hang Seng Index.

Sophia Tso, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for China Unicom, said she couldn’t immediately comment on what the iPhone 4S pricing plan would mean for its subsidy costs.

Data Surge

China Unicom is increasingly relying on subscribers who use the Web on their phones as growth in voice traffic slows. In August, the Beijing-based company said 51 percent of sales growth in the first half of last year came from non-voice services, while data traffic on its 3G network jumped almost sevenfold in the same period. Burberry bags, cheap burberry handbags outlet, buy 2012 burberry purse.