Describing Chinese telecom powerhouse China Mobile's (CHL) performance thus far as lacking would be more than generous. In fact, the world's largest telecom provider has lost roughly 10% so far in 2013.
As China's only telecom not to sell Apple's (AAPL -0.35%) iPhone, China Mobile has been much maligned by the financial media and investment community for not carrying one of the world's most popular smartphones.
However, the earnings story for China Mobile's struggles extends beyond lacking Apple's iPhone. It is in the midst of a massive round of capital expenditures as it invests heavily to roll out its 4G network to 100 networks throughout the rest of the year. The company was also dogged by excessive handset subsidies as it fights tooth and nail against rivals China Telecom and China Unicom, both of which happily peddle Apple's iPhone.
In this video, tech and telecom analyst Andrew Tonner looks at China Mobile's most recent earnings shortfall and reiterates his argument for a China Mobile-Apple deal sooner rather than later.
