Optus to sell the iPhone from the end of June
After months of speculation an industry insider (who has asked to remain anonymous) has confirmed to CNET.com.au that Optus will be one of several Australian mobile service providers to be selling Apple's iPhone, with sales and service commencing in the last week of June.
Optus plans to make the announcement mid-May ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference on June 9 in San Francisco where Apple CEO Steve Jobs is tipped to launch the next generation of iPhone.
While this source could not confirm a 3G version of the popular handset, they did suggest that Optus was expecting the upgraded models.
There remains further speculation as to which of the remaining Australian carriers will also licence the sale of the iPhone. With the first generation of the iPhone operating on the EDGE mobile network, the obvious choice had been Telstra as it's the only carrier with the necessary back-end technology.
The possibility of a 3G iPhone opens the door for the remaining carriers, who all provide a 3G service, and may in fact exclude Telstra depending on the latest iPhone model's hardware specifications. For the iPhone to operate on Telstra's Next G network it would need to support the 850MHz frequency, not just the 2100MHz more common in Australia, as well as in Europe and parts of Asia.
It has also been rumoured that Apple may intend to sell the iPhone directly through Apple stores and resellers, and that these phones would be unlocked. In the US CNET.com reports that the current iPhone carrier AT&T is planning a US$200 price drop on the next generation iPhone, subsidising the cost of the handset to prepare for the prospect of competing directly with Apple.
yellowshirts
01/05/2008 04:07 PM
HOO RAH!!!!! ONLY A YEAR LATER BUT YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY
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bleach1st
01/05/2008 07:29 PM
Wow, finally some news on a iPhone in Australia :D I personally can't wait for it, although I hope we get the 3G model instead of the 2G one... :/
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McBanjo
01/05/2008 10:29 PM
There is no way that we'll get the 2.5G model. No way at all, it would be virtually useless since it would only work properly with Telstra. Apple are not idiots.
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El Nino
02/05/2008 08:05 PM
So if its not exclusively. Then does that mean in will be sold unlocked?
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3g spy
02/05/2008 08:10 PM
Yep, I can confirm this as well. I have sources that tell me Optus has been testing 3g iPhones on their network. Keep your eyes peeled for Optus employees with 3g iPhones ;)
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mmci1525
03/05/2008 12:48 AM
@ El Nino From the many news blogs I read, it seems that apple will be releasing the iphone in Australia unlocked and at full retail available at apple stores and phone stores alike. but this is from the blogasphere. But I can't wait for the iphone to come out!
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Chas2427
04/05/2008 01:10 PM
yep i can back that up too my mate works for optus/telechoice and his boss has a 3g iphone
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Jason
05/05/2008 02:02 PM
lets wait and see what the price tag will be !! Oz is notoriously pricey for PDAs. I suspect they will package it with a silly low amount of data usage, lock you in for 2 years and then you'll realise you need more data so they up the price....just a thought.
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mattycas
05/05/2008 04:01 PM
First line of article should read "After months of speculation... more speculation"
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0402512119
06/05/2008 01:20 PM
this is great..finally!!
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