Vodafone releasing iPhone in Australia, Italy, India, and seven other countries

Vodafone's just got a tiny, minor, insignificant announcement to make this morning: it's signed with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten markets, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy (so much for Telecom Italia), India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey. Expect the phone later this year -- that's all we know for now. Score one (or ten?) for Voda.

[Thanks, iB3nji]

[Alex Yee @ May 6th 2008 2:41AM]

what's an outher country?

[fergmonkey @ May 6th 2008 2:45AM]

it's an "other" country somewhere "out"side of the USA!

[Vic the One @ May 6th 2008 2:51AM]

They HAVE THOSE?!

Why was I not told of this sooner? You all have some explaining to do!

In all seriousness, nobody (with a brain) who lives in a country with 3G is going to buy an iPhone until v2 comes out and supports it.

[Prad @ May 6th 2008 5:38AM]

@Vic the One

You would be surprise to know the # of iphones india.. (close to 60/70 K)
We wont be seeing the light of 3G for next 2/3 yrs atleast, still iPhone's will sell well here..ihope.

[CUBSWILLWIN @ May 6th 2008 7:58AM]

well I'm glad 'cause my cousin in India can get one as a legit. Jailbroken ones sell there for around 600 bucks, but he can get one cheaper and with no contract. no contracts are in india

[Sukhminder @ May 6th 2008 8:11AM]

Hear that Rogers, "Third World" countries are getting the iPhone before (or slightly after) Canada.

[tom @ May 6th 2008 8:35AM]

(i know eh) Canada is third world country for wireless technology!

Thanks a lot Ted!

[Austin @ May 6th 2008 2:45AM]

Score one for my apple stock. But it begs the question, what self-respecting buyer doesn't do their research and discover that 3G is less than 45 days away?

[Adrian @ May 6th 2008 2:55AM]

well i would assume that the phone to be release in australia will be 3g since vodafone have no evdo in Australia

[Nastro @ May 6th 2008 2:45AM]

No Japan?

[Darkroom @ May 6th 2008 6:05AM]

or Canada...

[akib @ May 6th 2008 7:25AM]

Canada already has it (with Rogers). There is no Vodafone in Canada.

[psxp @ May 6th 2008 8:29AM]

Canada DOES NOT already have it with Rogers. There has been no FORMAL announcement yet.

[Kizorblade @ May 6th 2008 12:15PM]

There has. However it was very brief.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/29/iphone-finally-coming-to-canada/

[zephead @ May 6th 2008 2:46AM]

You all know what this means? No more whining Aussies! :D

[Woody @ May 6th 2008 2:57AM]

This may shut up us whining Aussies for a while, but just wait until the release of the V2 iPhone is 'delayed' over and over again.

You won't hear the end of us!

[SirCrumpet @ May 6th 2008 3:09AM]

Or until its priced at roughly double the cost for the US one :P

[speakafreaka @ May 6th 2008 3:39AM]

so we'll use our powerful dollar to buy up US stock =P

[Pc_Madness @ May 6th 2008 3:51AM]

Does this mean exclusive to Vodaphone in australia? :o What about me and my Optus prepaid. :(

[marty.com.au @ May 6th 2008 4:45AM]

Everyone I know here (in Australia) has one anyway... they will just be now wining about the fact that the one that gets officially released is better.(V2).. Doh!

Vodaphone getting this has been known for a while, now is official... All my friends who work for Optus are SPUEWING!

[Ryan @ May 6th 2008 7:18AM]

The general rumor is that it will be carried by more then one phone company in Australia:
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/iPhone-for-Optus-not-exclusively/0,130061791,339288589,00.htm

And

http://forums.mactalk.com.au/20/47520-australian-iphone-release-info-given-resellers-apple-australia.html

[@ngel @ May 6th 2008 2:47AM]

It's hard to believe! Go Greece!

[JJV @ May 6th 2008 8:41AM]

YEAH HELLAS FTW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gav @ May 6th 2008 2:47AM]

For those who can't be bothered to read the article:

Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network.

Good news I guess :)

[g.thompson @ May 6th 2008 5:26AM]

According to La Repubblica, (repubblica.it) the phone will be sold by both Vodafone and Telecom Italia. For 9 months the phone can be blocked to work with only the distributing network, then it can be changed for a fee; and after 18 months, for no fee. A third-generation phone, 9.2 mm thick. Two versions 8 & 16Gb. There is also talk of a white model and a Ferrari red one...

[rioba @ May 6th 2008 2:54AM]

Also Tim (the mobile operator of Telecom Italia) this morning has announced a deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone. That confirms the new Apple strategy of non exclusive deals.

[cr0nite @ May 6th 2008 4:58AM]

Do you have any source for this?

[rioba @ May 6th 2008 4:43AM]

this link http://www.telecomitalia.it/cgi-bin/tiportale/TIPortale/ep/contentView.do?tabId=6&pageTypeId=-8663&LANG=IT&channelId=-9793&programId=9596&programPage=/ep/TImedia/TICSList.jsp?fonte=Telecom+Italia&contentId=32029&contentType=EDITORIAL&tabId=6&pageTypeId=9537 to the official press release

[cr0nite @ May 6th 2008 4:58AM]

thank you!

[Vinay @ May 6th 2008 2:58AM]

In India, people would rather buy a P1i or wait for the Xperia, than get a delibrately-crippled and expensive phone like the the Apple offering.


If Vodafone introduces the newer 3G iPhone soon, things might change, but in countries where value-for-money is stressed fanatically, fully-customisable phones will always win.

Lack of a good camera with flash on the iPhone, as opposed to other similarly-priced phones, and the battery issue, will cripple iPhone sales here.



Finally, when Vodafone does release the iPhone in India, will it mean that only Vodafone networks can be used on it? That feature will never work here. This is a country with such massive competition in the mobile sector that the prices have crashed to become the world's lowest, with incoming calls being completely free of cost. A locked phone just won't cut it.

[Tim @ May 6th 2008 3:30AM]

Eh... incoming calls have been free in quite a few markets for quite a few years...

You sound exactly like all the other negative iPhone be-littlers that mouthed off before the initial release..., eat your words I say!

[Tom @ May 6th 2008 3:19AM]

Yeah, it just wouldn't be engadget without fanboys and haters. You're not everyone, and neither am I. So you're not a fan, it doesn't mean everyone isn't, but sure, speak for all of India.

[Dave @ May 6th 2008 3:39AM]

Cnet.com.au was reporting that Optus was getting the iphone in Australia.

If true this would back up the rumor of the new Apple strategy of non exclusive deals.

To Vinay,

The sign of any free market is choice. What you value is different from someone else. The P1i is available in many markets that the iphone is in yet the iphone continues to be a success.

Will it's success be limited due to the points you raise.... maybe. One could say something like that has happened in Europe with sales not being as easy to come by as it was in the US.

However does that make the product a failure ???

Also I think you are basing your assumption on current market conditions which I believe will be different moving forward.

In my opinion the next version of the iphone will be 3G it will have a somewhat opened platform and be available from many carriers well outside of the US.

Being someone that has had many smart phones I am tired of all hearing the "it must be open" for it to successful.

I really just want my key apps and I want them to work well. Some of the rubbish that is on WinMob and Symbian is amazing. If that is what open brings me then I don't care all that much for it. But then that is my opinion and not yours.

[Charly @ May 6th 2008 8:17AM]

Incoming calls being completely free of cost? Isn't that normal? The only time I ever had to pay for incoming calls is roaming.

[Vinay @ May 6th 2008 8:23AM]

@Dave


I agree with your arguments. It's not just that the iPhone is not open, it's also got something to do with the price:

A P1i can be had for approximately 15,000 rupees in India.

An iPhone will atleast cost 30,000 rupees and above (current unlocked iPhones have been available in India immediately after its launch in the US, and its on-street price is 34,000 rupees for a 8-gigabyte model)

That's more than twice the price of a P1i for more or less the same features, with the added extra of expandable memory, a replaceable battery and a far superior autofocus camera.

http://shop.rediff.com/shop/searchv3_gall.jsp?Query=iphone&catid=&level=0&sortreq=3&frompg=iphone_search&startp=0.0&endp=0.0&pageno=1&more=0&brand=

[r3loaded @ May 6th 2008 1:41PM]

@Dave - "the iphone continues to be a success"

Not in the UK it seems. Haven't seen a single iPhone on the streets of London yet (plenty of iPod Touches though). People don't seem daft enough to fork out £270 for a handset when you usually get one free with a contract.

[Crypt @ May 6th 2008 3:00AM]

Although it would be wishful thinking, Vodafone initially refused to touch the iphone and wait till the 3g version came out. Giving this timing, and the expected announcement of the 3G iphone, AND the fact that Vodafone in all those countries listed above have recently been partaking in massive 3G/HADPA upgrades and or announcements. Seems to point in the direction that they may release the 3G Iphone to those markets.

It would make sense, rather then restrict the market, open a huge portal to the customers on 3G networks within a close time frame disrupting the flow of Grey market imports and allow maximum market penetration.

[Jakob Henner @ May 6th 2008 10:07AM]

Of course, we know a new iPhone will be announced shortly ;)

Rumors in Scandinavia claim the iPhone will be carried by Telia or 3 (which is 3G/HSPDA-exclusive) in Sweden and Denmark and Telenor in Norway.

[Puneet @ May 6th 2008 3:02AM]

in india !
wohooo
so far people in india with iphones used that sim unlock thingy to unlock and use the phone with the current operator's :)

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ May 6th 2008 3:15AM]

Interesting turn of events since they were the ones that tried to get the iPhone sales stopped in Germany under T-Mobile.

• http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/20/vodafone-germany-obtains-restraining-order-against-t-mobile-ipho/

[pfromg @ May 6th 2008 3:42AM]

Vodaphopne now have the deal in Germany too.

[cr0nite @ May 6th 2008 5:03AM]

Any source for this?

[pfromg @ May 6th 2008 6:05AM]

source = pal who runs a vodaphone shop.

[Gikku @ May 6th 2008 3:21AM]

http://www.vodafone.com/start/media_relations/news/group_press_releases/2007/vodafone_to_offer0.html

[LOLOL @ May 6th 2008 3:27AM]

Thanks, was looking for the source!

[Amol @ May 6th 2008 3:32AM]

Is there even EDGE in India? Actually I won't be surprised if Mumbai/Kolkata/Chenna/Delhi, along with like B'lore and Hyderabad has it. But say cities like Kochi (Cochin) - do they have EDGE?

Also, who's vodafone's partner in India? It's Hutch, is it not?

And pardon my ignorance, if I said something dumb.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez @ May 6th 2008 3:44AM]

This is probably for the 3G iPhone due out in within the next 7 weeks.

[Naseer @ May 6th 2008 4:46AM]

Vodafone India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Vodafone Group

[Rags @ May 6th 2008 9:05AM]

EDGE is available in all major cities in India and works well.

Even smaller cities like Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) has EDGE (Airtel) and works very well.

As for 3G it may take another few years though.

[Jagannath A @ May 6th 2008 10:03AM]

vodafone bought hutch.....