China Mobile was reported to have begun taking pre-orders for Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c devices, sparking speculation that a deal is finally in place for the world’s biggest operator to offer the flagship smartphone.

However, Forbes reports that China Mobile had said a deal is not in place, although the operator did not clarify why what appeared to be a pre-order website had appeared, and then been removed.

The device was listed by China Mobile’s unit in Suzhou, a city of 5 million which was described as “one of the richest cities in China, with a sizable population of smartphone users who would not only know about the iPhone, but could probably afford it”.

It is possible that following the issue of commercial 4G licences in China this week, China Mobile could be looking to use the Apple device to spearhead its marketing efforts.

China’s operators are using TD-LTE for their 4G services rather than the currently more widely adopted LTE FDD. But Apple’s website already lists an iPhone 5s variant (A1530) and iPhone 5c unit (A1529) with TD-LTE support.

China Mobile is currently the only operator in the country not to offer the iPhone. Unlike rivals China Unicom (WCDMA) and China Telecom (CDMA), its choice of 3G network technology (TD-SCDMA) has not been adopted outside of the country, meaning it would need a device tailored specifically to meet its needs.

China Mobile has more than 750 million connections, although it has lagged its rivals in terms of 3G growth – in part because of its need for different smartphones. Earlier this year, Fitch Ratings said that China Mobile’s use of TD-SCDMA had cost it “some high to middle end subscribers”.