Bloomberg reports that the introduction of the iPhone will increase the subsidy costs of operator China Telecom by around 20 percent, citing comments from an analyst with BNP Paribas Securities Asia. The operator is set to launch the device imminently, joining rival China Unicom in offering the Apple smartphone – market leader China Mobile does not officially offer the handset (although it is believed there are around 15 million iPhones using China Mobile's network).