Apple Watch's LTE Suspended in China
The Apple Watch 3 is having a serious issue in China.
Many Apple Watches have been intentionally cut off from accessing Long-Term Evolution (LTE) connectivity, according to reports. A month after its initial release and an earlier problem with LTE, the Apple Watch 3 is facing yet another issue.
In China, the key feature was abruptly suspended for new subscribers without any explanation. Those who purchased the Apple Watch 3 when the device went on sale last Sept. 22 were still able to get the function working. However, after Sept. 28, the feature has been suspended for all new subscribers. Fortunately, users who have added the feature before the said cutoff are still able to connect as of this writing.
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"We were informed by China Unicom that the new cellular feature on the Apple Watch Series 3 has been suspended," Apple said in a press statement (via The Wall Street Journal). China's regulator, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, as well as China Unicom and other state-owned telecom companies have yet to comment on the matter.
Industry analysts believe the Chinese government decided to cut users' access to LTE connectivity due to security concerns. China regulates mobile phones by requiring users to register their SIM cards under their real names with the network carrier. Since the smartwatch uses an eSIM (embedded SIM), the process of tracking users will be more complicated. The Apple Watch 3 may also be presenting other problems the Chinese government has not yet addressed.
Carriers will not be able to use its existing identification system because the Apple Watch 3's SIM is embedded inside the device. It seems the country has yet to come up with a new system to regulate devices with eSIMs, similar to what the Apple Watch 3 has.
The Apple Watch 3 is still available in China but due to the ban on its essential feature, the new device's sales for this year may be affected.
