China Mobile Chairman Says iPhone Deal Has Not Been Finalised

Reuters:

China Mobile Ltd said it’s still in talks with Apple Inc to sell iPhones amid mounting industry speculation that the pair are about to announce a deal to net the technology giant hundreds of millions of potential new customers.

Xi Guohua, the chairman of the world’s largest mobile phone carrier, said on Wednesday morning that his company had no announcement to make on any deal to carry Apple’s smartphones. Xi was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Guangzhou, a southern city of China.

I’m confused — China Mobile has been advertising the iPhone online and in stores — but the deal isn’t done? International Business Times says that only finer details are left to be rubber-stamped but still … it’s weird.