Apple Inc plans to hire a manager with knowledge of the third- and fourth-generation networks used by China Mobile Ltd, evidence it's moving toward agreement for the world's largest carrier by users to offer the iPhone.

The carrier engineering manager position, based in Beijing, will "support and drive the carrier approval of mobile phones," Apple said in an advertisement on its Chinese website.

China Mobile has 63 percent of the 1.2 billion wireless subscribers in the world's biggest smartphone market, while Apple has distribution agreements only with the nation's two smaller operators - China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd and China Telecom Corp. Apple is near a deal with China Mobile to distribute the iPhone and is preparing to ship devices to the carrier, a person familiar with the talks said last month.