CHINA Telecom launched a new brand yesterday to target entry-level users, especially young people, just before the official launch on the Chinese mainland of a CDMA iPhone 4S targeting high-end users next week.

The iPhone 4S for China Telecom users will debut on March 9 starting from 5,780 yuan (US$870) with a one-year contract, the telco said yesterday.

The Young brand will help the No. 3 mobile carrier in the country catch up with China Mobile and China Unicom, analysts said.

Overseas and domestic brands, including Samsung, Motorola, Sharp, ZTE and Huawei, have also unveiled models for the new brand. Most are models priced from 999 to 2,000 yuan.

The monthly packages of the brand are 19 or 39 yuan, which suit students and price-sensitive consumers.