China Mobile, the world's largest carrier in terms of user base - a whopping 667.2 million subscribers - has confirmed that it is currently in talks with Apple to offer the iPhone on its network, according to Bloomberg.

Speaking to investors on Tuesday, May 15, China Mobile's chairman Xi Guohua confirmed the carrier's plans. "China Mobile and Apple both have the will to strengthen cooperation. When there is more specific news, we will disclose it," said the carrier's chairman. China Mobile is the world's largest carrier by subscriber rate, but the carrier's choice in 3G technology has made it incompatible with iPhones Apple has manufactured so far.

Qualcomm's 3G Chip Could Make it Happen

While it is not sure which generation iPhone would the carrier offer should the talks go through, it will likely be the next-generation iPhone, expected later this year. During the 2012 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Qualcomm introduced a 3G chip that supports TD-SCDMA, TD-LTE, LTE on FDD and TDD networks, which means support for China Mobile as well. Should Apple decide to use the chip in its next-generation iPhone, China Mobile could finally get a chance to offer the popular device, and Apple would benefit from the world's largest carrier's immense user base.

China, a Key Market for Apple

Apple's iPhone is currently available on China Telecom and China Unicom in the country. China Unicom started selling the iPhone in 2009, followed by China Telecom in March 2012. Apple CEO Tim Cook acknowledged many times that China is a key market for the company, and Apple's impressive figures last quarter were largely due to great demand in China. Considering China Mobile's huge user base, it's only natural Apple would want a slice of that, and the iPhone would be the best way to get it. If China Mobile offered the handset as well, it could significantly boost sales for Apple in the country, and China is the world's biggest mobile phone market.

"Both sides have been making contact with each other. And both sides are willing to boost cooperation," Lei Yu, a spokeswoman for China Mobile, told AFP. Yu declined to offer additional details.

The Apple brand is incredibly popular in China, so popular in fact that it even caused some riots. Greater China has become Apple's fastest growing region, and revenues are second only to the U.S. At the end of February, China had more than one billion mobile phone users.