Kindle's German launch stalled by T-Mobile and Vodafone?

A news item is circulating the internet reportedly from German business weekly Wirtschaftswoche claiming Amazon is facing a major hurdle in trying to bring its Kindle to Deutschland. The problem at hand? The two big wireless providers in the country, Vodafone and T-Mobile, are both saying "nein" to providing Whispernet service, and apparently the issue has to do with how much money Amazon was willing to give -- unsurprising, if true. Another, very likely reason for T-Mobile's unwillingness is that parent company Deutsche Telekom is rumored to be working on its own e-book reader, and we gotta believe those company picnics would be mighty awkward if a large subsidiary was given the competition a major boost. We can't imagine this stopping Amazon for long, and we'd be very surprised if the Kindle didn't find some way to sneak itself into the region sooner or later.

[KarlW @ Jul 1st 2009 2:07AM]

Vee make an eReader zat lasts for sousand years!

[11010010 @ Jul 1st 2009 6:08AM]

well, obviously.. 'cuz you guys make the same jokes since a thousand years..

:-)

[James @ Jul 1st 2009 2:22AM]

It's Deutschland, not "Deutschlan".

[Magallanes @ Jul 1st 2009 11:34AM]

Or Deutschwan ?

[Mattias @ Jul 1st 2009 2:23AM]

Here in Germany, E-Plus (a local carrier) and Telefonica are quite active in the 1900MHz GSM band. Both provide "capped 3.5G data flatrates" between 1GB and 5GB for 10 to 15 Euros. They do not offer HSDPA everywhere, but I guess normal 3G should suffice for the Kindle. I guess they'll reach an agreement soon, even if they just talk to E-Plus and Telefonica just to end in bed with one of the big two.

[Twitchy @ Jul 1st 2009 2:38AM]

WTF is "Deutschlan"? German specific network maybe?

[lens42 @ Jul 1st 2009 2:41AM]

So carriers are jerks in Europe as well. I thought that was only in the U.S.

[Ervserver @ Jul 1st 2009 2:44AM]

how about a Wi-Fi Kindle

[Chris @ Jul 1st 2009 2:26PM]

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

[nual @ Jul 1st 2009 2:49AM]

any news for Canada yet?

[wrabbit @ Jul 1st 2009 7:01AM]

Yeah, as always we're the third world of gadgets, you can expect to see in 5 to 10 years, if we're lucky :(

[dofer49 @ Jul 1st 2009 3:08AM]

Deutschlan could be a potential name for a national lanparty in Germany?

I guess Germany Kant get kindle at the moment

...

(sorry)

[Twitchy @ Jul 1st 2009 5:00AM]

Even though there is obviously a market Nietzsche.

[Charbax @ Jul 1st 2009 3:12AM]

Amazon are morons. They need to release the Kindle worldwide with an unlocked HSDPA sim card slot. Also it needs to run Android and have a touchscreen and WiFi.

My guess is Amazon is NOT interested in selling many of their Kindles.

[L @ Jul 1st 2009 5:00AM]

Yeah, because the Kindle really totally *needs* Android...

[RIMM Jobs @ Jul 1st 2009 3:13AM]

+3 AP college credits for the pun in the book title

[LSCHILLING @ Jul 1st 2009 3:46AM]

O2 and E-Plus, being #3 and #4 in the German market have forced them to move into, and succeed at, wholesale business models which will be favorable to signing up to Whispernet, and HSPA is not necessary. Furthermore, T-Mobile has been rumored for well over a year to offer their own e-book. Although their has been no mention of publisher deals, I would suspect they have nothing particular to offer; content has always been an afterthought at Deutsche Telekom
That being said, I agree with the need for WiFi. I live in Germany and have NO mobile coverage at home...the most likely place I'll be downloading books from!

[paulsbitbucket @ Jul 1st 2009 3:49AM]

My European based friends, granted I see less of them in person these days with the economy, have had a long run of kidding me about how the US phone system, once the best in the world when wired, is in these days of wireless, pretty much equivalent to some poor 3rd. world country. All sorts of standards that are incompatible, vendor lock-ins, exorbitant costs, gaps in coverage, etc., etc. I have to concede that they have a point. So I do find it amusing that Germany is apparently locked up, and Amazon cannot find a vendor to provide WhisperNet. In the U.S., the cellular vendors are pretty much standing in line to provide Whispernet like capability to eBook providers like Amazon, including two cell companies that have German roots or partial ownership. Great way to get some money for what's essentially back-up for peak bandwidth. The whole thing strikes me as, well, so quintessentially German. In the US, if there's a German product that's superior, we pretty much buy and use it. In Germany, if there's a US product that's superior, they pretty much find a way to not buy or use it.

[11010010 @ Jul 1st 2009 4:20AM]

my german friend, i do not agree. i think it is just business pratice.. they (amazon) want to use the network of deutsche telekom or vodafone (both have much better coverage and faster networks than the others) but do not give enough money, then they have to look somewhere else. easy free market practice..

greetings from old europe

[Andrew @ Jul 1st 2009 4:31PM]

This has nothing to do with what product is "superior" or not. Amazon's Kindle is great, but it won't be as profitable to T-mobile's as their own project obviously! Your theory of "anti-American" tactics are laughable.

I for one am pushing hard for the single EV-DO network in my European country to open their eyes to the possibilities of selling the Kindle and their network! They have a nationwide network solely dedicated to data traffic, not a single phone on it, and all the major cell phone networks here are obviously GSM (3G). What a match made in heaven!

[Jody @ Jul 1st 2009 4:06AM]

Who else is fed up of Kindle news?...

[RIMM Jobs @ Jul 1st 2009 4:33AM]

Just you and the other people that can't read.

[tmarks11 @ Jul 1st 2009 7:09AM]

hey, at least nobody mentioned the iPhone or the Pre yet; makes for a
nice change from all the rest of the Engadget articles.


oh wait....uh.... never mind.

[Chris @ Jul 1st 2009 8:19AM]

I'm really impatient to get the Kindle here in Germany as soon as possible - it really makes me angry that the main 2 carriers can't get their act together and find a solution to that fast, especially with Germany being the second biggest market for amazon. I'd be the first to get one!

Oh, and @twitchy: I laughed ou loud on the "market Nietzsche" - that's a good one!

[Major4Play @ Jul 1st 2009 8:34AM]

I'd rather have a Sony reader, or an even cheaper model, Who needs to be locked in to a kindle, you'll be advising us to buy iPods next !

[Matthias @ Jul 1st 2009 8:55AM]

I think the Kindle (or any e-reading device currently available) is too expensive for the German market at this point.

[T.W.G @ Jul 1st 2009 9:13AM]

it would be great to get the kindle, or better the kindle DX here in Germany.

That's the only feature I miss on my Sony PRS-505: Reading the newspaper every morning on that baby :-)

[Jimmijam @ Jul 1st 2009 9:54AM]

Ironic, since the name Kindle refers to the book burnings...

[rohansood1987 @ Jul 1st 2009 10:26AM]

When will Kindle be launched in India?
when? when? WHEN?

[Magallanes @ Jul 1st 2009 11:37AM]

Kindle is nice but not enough nice to support the excessive Amazon's greediness.

[Sporkinum @ Jul 1st 2009 11:39AM]

Immanuel Kant was a real pissant. Who was very rarely stable.

[diamonddogs @ Jul 1st 2009 12:57PM]

I suppose no UK release any time soon either then if Vodafone's being like this in Germany?

[russlar @ Jul 1st 2009 2:24PM]

Ich kann Kindle haben?