Nov. 3 (Bloomberg) -- China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd., the country’s second-biggest mobile-phone company, said it has 5,000 users for Apple Inc.’s iPhone, after the carrier introduced the handset in the world’s biggest phone market last week.

The prices of the handset are not expensive, President Lu Yimin told reporters after a Unicom shareholders meeting in Hong Kong today.

Unicom priced its iPhones as much as 26 percent higher than similar models in Hong Kong, prompting concern the strategy will hamper sales in China, where more than 700 million people subscribe to wireless services. CLSA Ltd. estimates Apple may sell 460,000 of its smart phones annually through its Chinese partner, fewer than the number shipped through unauthorized dealers in the Asian country each year.

Last Updated: November 3, 2009 03:00 EST