FORTUNE — The key word in the job posting above — spotted Wednesday by Bloomberg‘s Edmond Lococo on Apple’s (AAPL) Chinese website — is the unpronounceable bit of jargon highlighted in blue.
TD-SCDMA, for Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access, is the communications protocol used by China Mobile (CHL) — and only China Mobile — to send signals to and from cell phones at 3G and 4G speeds.
China Mobile, in turn, is the world’s largest mobile carrier. Apple has been trying for years to find a way to sell iPhones directly to China Mobile’s 700 million-plus subscribers, and for years the carrier’s non-standard protocol has been the chief technological sticking point.
Now the pieces of a deal are falling into place.
- The Qualcomm (QCOM) chipset in the iPhones introduced on Sept. 10 supports TD-SCDMA.
- On Sept. 11 Apple got the final license it needs to operate on China Mobile’s high-speed network.
- Now Apple is looking for someone who speaks and writes Mandarin to run the operation.
The key paragraph in the job summary:
As the manager for Greater China, this role will be responsible for the overall management of the technical interface to all carriers in the Greater China region. This includes obtaining approvals for all Apple hardware and software, supporting carriers with new technology trials, managing carrier reported technical issues, tracking carrier roadmaps and supporting senior level engineering meetings.
Seems like a job you’d want to fill before any deal gets finalized.