China Telecom to start sales of Microsoft’s Xbox One gaming console

China Telecom would start sales of Microsoft's Xbox One gaming console in China from September through an exclusive contract, according to a statement by the country's third largest telecommunications company on Friday.

The launch date and the price had not yet been decided, Reuters said citing China Telecom spokesman Ivan Wong, who spoke to the news agency over telephone.

The Xbox One would be the first gaming console to be released in mainland China after the government banned console sales in 2000, citing games' effects on mental health.

In a deal Microsoft reached with Chinese internet TV set-top box maker BesTV New Media in September last year, the software giant formed a venture to manufacture the consoles in Shanghai's Free Trade Zone.