Mike Wuerthele
Purchasers of the Series 3 Apple Watch with LTE in China at present have no wireless network connectivity options, with the lone carrier possibly forced by the government to cease service.
A report on Thursday from the Wall Street Journal notes that LTE connectivity was cut off on Sept. 28 after brief availability from China Unicom. While not yet confirmed, unnamed industry analysts cited by the report claim that the suspension is probably from governmental concerns about not being able to track and confirm users of the device.
Apple issued a brief statement confirming the situation, and referring customers to China Unicom. Neither China Unicom, nor Chinese regulators have made any statement on the matter.
The issue may stem from the eSIM in the Apple Watch. Devices like the iPhone have state-owned telecom company-issued SIM cards — and the eSIM is embedded in the device by Apple.
"The eSIM (system) isn't mature enough yet in China," one analyst said. "The government still needs to figure out how they can control the eSIM."
The LTE version of the Apple Watch had only a trial certificate to operate on the Chinese LTE network. An analyst who asked not to be identified expects that Ministry of Industry and Information Technology may take months to figure out how the government will deal with the eSIM, and issue a formal certificate for operation.
In 2015, Apple and Samsung were working with some of the largest carriers in the world on eSIM technology — including China Unicom. The technology is related to, but not identical to the Apple SIM technology in the iPad used by companies like GigSky, to allow users to easily buy temporary, contract-free data plans while traveling internationally.
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
37 Comments
The sheepleness over there is simply mind-boggling.
Pretty sure the government has tanks.
How long will we in the U.S. be able to keep the power hungry government from doing the same thing? We meekly (sheepleness) accepted the TSA and Homeland Security out of fear. I recently found out about Real ID. Real ID is a federally mandated program that states must comply with when issuing drivers licenses or state ID cards. Starting in 2018 the TSA will no longer accept non Real ID compliant state IDs and drivers licenses as a valid photo ID for domestic travel. Real ID compliant IDs provide Homeland Security/TSA with much more additional personal information about you. Real ID is more than just an ID card. Currently four states are refusing to comply and their citizens will be unable to board a domestic flight unless they also have their passport with them. Bottom line is that citizens of this country can no longer travel freely (by airplane) without the government know exactly who you are and where you are going inside the country. How long until Real ID is mandated for all forms of commercial travel?
sometimes you think government of US is amateur, but sometimes you discovered China government is just a bunch of moron and retard.