BEIJING - China Telecom Corp Ltd, the nation's third-largest mobile operator, denied rumors that the company will introduce Apple Inc's iPhone 4S on the Chinese mainland next week.

On Friday morning, one Chinese Internet news portal- ifeng.com, quoted an unnamed source at China Telecom, saying that the mobile operator will officially launch the CDMA-version iPhone 4S next week. However, Song Guixiang, a spokeswoman with China Telecom's public relation department said the report was untrue.

Song refused to reveal any specifics on China Telecom's plan regarding the iPhone 4S. In a news release at the end of January, Beijing Telecom Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China Telecom, said the CDMA-version iPhone 4S is likely to hit the domestic market by the end of February, or at the beginning of March. However, no pricing details were disclosed.