don't go telstra!

Why not?

un-good

I quite like the service Telstra provides me with.

I never used to like Telstra's pricing, but from what I can tell they've become quite competitive in the 3G space since buying into 3. That said, my rates on 3 are ridiculously cheap so I'll do what I can to avoid moving from them.

3 are rediculously the best

Times Online claims the reason for the UK and German iPhone discounts are to clear room for the 3G iPhone. European mobile operators reportedly overestimated demand for the current iPhone and are said to be working to clear excess inventory ahead of the 3G iPhone release.

This claim appears to be somewhat speculative, but Times Online also claims to have heard that Apple has placed orders for the 3G iPhone:

Times Online understands that Apple has placed an order with its Asian suppliers to produce 200,000 of the new 3G iPhones by the end of May, rising to 2 million - 500,000 per week - in June.

Times Online goes on to say that the new version of the iPhone will have a "radically different" appearance.

Among the possibilities are flip version, which would enable the screen to be larger, and a sliding model with a regular qwerty keyboard - as opposed to a touchscreen one.

The reliability of Times Online's sources are unknown, but such a departure from the existing iPhone's design seems very unlikely. Jobs specifically criticized the inclusion of an built-in keyboards amongst existing smartphones when the iPhone was first introduced. Apple is also in the midst of launching a Software Development Kit (SDK) intended for their multi-touch OS X. Radically changing the form factor would splinter the audience for iPhone applications.

Repubblica.it reports that Telecom Italia will be launching the iPhone in Italy in the next few weeks for sale by the summer.

The new model is said to be based on 3G (UMTS) technology and will be sold originally through Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The 3G iPhone, however, will not be locked to any provider, but TIM will have the inital advantage with a few month lead time over other carriers.

According to MacRumors reader grigio, the main points are as follows:

1) Direct introduction of UMTS-capable 3G iPhones on the Italian market, skipping the current 2G version.
2) No revenue sharing, instead a higher selling price.
3) No permanent exclusive distribution by a single operator. Instead, TIM will be given the right to distribute the iPhone with some months of advance with respect to its UMTS competitors.
Apple has been rumored to be launching the 3G iPhone in the coming months with most expecations at a June (WWDC) U.S. launch. Repubblica is a well respected publication in Italy.

In February, Apple's COO, Timothy Cook said that Apple was "not married to any business model" with regard to the iPhone. Specifically, Apple's has received some criticism about their exclusivity contracts with specific mobile carriers, preventing customers from easily using other networks.

It appears this model appears to be eroding, at least in some countries. A recent report claimed that the 3G iPhone would launch in Italy as an unlocked phone, available for use with any carrier. The side effect of this move, however, could be higher retail prices for the iPhones. With the exclusivity deals Apple has in place, Apple earns a portion of monthly subscription fees from their network partners, such as AT&T.

Another report from Belgium makes identical claims that a 3G iPhone will be arriving by the end of June. Again, the iPhone is expected to be compatible with all Belgian operators, though is expected to launch on Mobistar first as early as May. The decision may have been forced upon Apple, however, as Belgium specifically prohibits the sale of "locked" mobile phones.

Still, other reports have hinted at similar distribution models in India and Australia later this year.

Despite technical measures in place to prevent the use of the iPhone on unauthorized networks, the practice of "unlocking" iPhones has become a big business with reports that as many as 400,000 unlocked iPhones running on China Mobile's network.

Vodafone to launch iPhone in India - and Australia?

India's Business Standard newspaper reports that Vodafone will launch the iPhone in India in the first week of September and quotes Apple sources saying Vodafone will also be a non-exclusive iPhone seller in Australia.

The paper quoted an "Apple source in Singapore" saying: "The carrier deal for India is being worked out with Vodafone," and that "Vodafone could also become the carrier for the Australian market once iPhone is launched there, though more than one carrier is likely for Australia."

Although Vodafone officially denied the claims, the paper said that sources within Vodafone had "confirmed the iPhone carrier deal with Apple [for India] though the exact commercial terms were not disclosed." and added: "the Apple retail sources also did not rule out Apple extending universal access for iPhone users to all major telecom carriers in India, acknowledging that users' ability to 'unlock' the phones tended to negate exclusivity deals.

India is planning to introduce full mobile number portability - The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended a nationwide deadline of June 2009.

The iPhone would be very much a 'high end' product in the Indian market, but nevertheless the potential sales could be huge: the Indian mobile market is growing very rapidly. According to IDC, user numbers are set to double to 500 million by 2010.

According to Business Standard: "The real signs of 'iFatigue' in India over the long wait for the iPhone are evident on Internet chat forums where users debate thorny issues like how to unlock the iPhone without losing call quality, free open source hacker kits like AppTapp, the best unlock deals at the right price, and quick bargains in the grey market...[However] those awaiting the launch agree that it's better to have the ecosystem in place before buying the phone. The rewards of buying the kosher version far outstrip the risks of stalking it down the murky alleys of the grey market, and hacking and re-hacking the device every time Apple releases a software upgrade."