Apple and China Mobile are reported to have inked a long-anticipated deal which will see the world’s biggest mobile operator begin sales of the iPhone, although neither company has officially confirmed the move.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing “a person familiar with the situation”, said that the deal had been done, and that a launch date “around the time of an 18 December China Mobile conference in Guangzhou” is likely.

This event is where the operator is set to unveil a new brand for its 4G network, following the issue of a commercial licence earlier this week – China Mobile has constructed an extensive 4G trial network already, meaning it is well positioned for a full launch.

While a deal between China Mobile and Apple has been long-anticipated, it was widely suggested that this would not take place until the operator was in a position to launch its 4G services.

The WSJ said that with this hurdle now out of the way, the conditions are in place for the launch.

According to reports earlier this week, China Mobile’s operating unit in Suzhou had launched a pre-order website for the iPhone, which was swiftly pulled after it gained international interest.

China Mobile is the last operator in the country to offer the iPhone, after rivals China Unicom and China Telecom announced deals with Apple.

This is likely – at least in part – to be down to the fact that China Mobile uses a home-grown 3G technology (TD-SCDMA) which has not been supported by previous iPhones, whereas Unicom and Telecom have adopted international standards.