Dow Jones Newswires reports that Apple's deal with Chinese wireless provider China Unicom to bring the iPhone to that country, announced last week, is in fact not exclusive. Early reports had claimed that the deal contained a multi-year exclusivity arrangement for China Unicom, but the official denial by Apple opens the door to the company allowing other Chinese wireless providers to offer the iPhone.
"I can confirm it is not an exclusive deal," Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison said in an e-mailed statement.
She declined, however, to say which other companies Apple is in talks with.
The report notes that China Mobile remains interested in carrying the iPhone, despite lengthy previous negotiations with Apple that faced numerous stumbling blocks and allowed China Unicom to become the first to launch the iPhone in China.
