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Russian carriers that ditched the iPhone last year want it back
Last year, two Russian mobile phone operators, MTS and Vimpelcom (who owns Beeline), made headlines by deciding to drop the iPhone from their offerings. At the time, both carriers said that Apple's stringent contractual requirements were behind the decision to drop the most popular smartphone in the world. Now, however, it seems those carriers have had a major change of heart. According to Reuters, both carriers want the iPhone back. Vimpelcom has taken the most direct route and signed a contract with Apple. But MTS has decided to acquire its iPhones through a third-party distributor so it does not have to agree to Apple's contractual requirements. MTS said it will not, however, rule out signing a contract with Apple in the future.
Sony Xperia ZL coming to a swath of Canadian carriers in April
It's not quite a US launch, but it's close: Sony is bringing the more compact of its two 5-inch smartphones, the Xperia ZL, to Canada in April. While that's already good news for locals who like their Xperias extra-large, the real perk will be a change in Sony's tendency toward limited launches in North America. The release will put the ZL on several of the more significant Canadian networks, including heavyweights Bell and Rogers as small-but-significant carriers like Mobilicity, MTS, Videotron and Wind Mobile -- the only major exceptions appear to be Telus and the big providers' budget brands. There's no word on pricing, although we're not expecting a radical break from the norm. We're mostly just left wondering whether the Xperia Z will appear as well, and just which if any of Sony's 1080p flagships will cross the border to the States.
Russian iPhone carrier not happy over price, cites Apple 'dictatorship'
In the Soviet Union, you got a knockoff Motorola brick phone and you were happy. In modern-day Russia, however, you might want an iPhone from OAO Mobile TeleSystems (MTS). You'll pay over US$1,000 for the privilege. The carrier says that makes the iPhone a tough sell in a competitive market. MTS executives criticized Apple as being "in a dictatorship mode where they say, 'This is what you have to do or you don't get the iPhone.' Being arrogant with your partners in big markets doesn't pay off." The cost of the iPhone and the strict retail standards that Apple requires for partners are apparently a burden for MTS, and its executives made their complaints known at an event in New York on July 29. Michael Hecker, MTS's VP of strategy and corporate development, was cited by Bloomberg as saying that Apple would get a larger share of the Russian market by cutting the iPhone's price or helping subsidize it. Russian consumers, unlike those in the U.S., don't sign up for long-term mobile phone contracts, so there's little incentive for carriers to subsidize the cost of the phone the way American carriers do. After the executives chastised Apple earlier in the day, MTS spokesman Joshua Tulgan smoothed things over by saying that "While we have differences with Apple, we have a constructive relationship. Smartphones like the iPhone are important to our customers and our economy and we want to get them into the hands of as many people as possible." #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
World's first GLONASS-enabled smartphone ships in Russia, GPS ponders a recalculation
Well, would you look at that? The planet's first GLONASS phone is now available, but it looks as if you'll need to soar over to Russia in order to use it. Of course, if you've followed the GLONASS story at all you wouldn't find that shocking in the least, and if you choose to pick up the ZTE-built MTS GLONASS 945 on your next trip, you'll be treated to full-on GPS support back in the States. It's a Froyo-based device with a 3.2-inch capacitive touchpanel, 2 megapixel camera, 130MB of memory, Bluetooth / WiFi and a price tag of just under 11,000 Rubles. That's around $400 in real money, which you'll probably find suits you best in your wallet if you've already picked up the all-too-similar Vodafone 945. Here's hoping the world's second GLONASS phone is a bit more compelling in the design and feature standpoint, yeah? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Russia's major mobile operators join hands for unified LTE rollout
Ringo and co. said it best, and now Beeline, Megafon, MTS and Rostelekom are getting a little help from their friends. Er, friend. Or maybe it's the other way around? At any rate, the first four have just signed a deal with Yota to build out a nationwide LTE network that'll work across the board. Rather than forcing each operator to do their own thing, the four in question will now have the option to buy 25 percent stakes in Yota; according to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, this unified effort will enable Russia's economy to reap the benefits of a widespread 4G network while other nations (ahem, America) fight to see whether it'll be WiMAX or LTE taking the lead. If you'll recall, Yota was actually one of the first carriers on the planet to serve up commercial 4G, but last year it decided to make the switch from WiMAX to the suddenly popular LTE. The goal here is to have LTE in 180 cities with a total population of more than 70 million citizens by 2014, and we're told that those situated on Little Diomede may actually be the first to get LTE in Alaska. Kidding. Maybe.
Sluggish iPhone sales could lead to stiff fines for Russian operators
See folks, this is the kind of mess you end up with after you gleefully do a deal with the devil. According to a roundup of reports over at Unwired View, three of Russia's major mobile operators could be looking at massive (we're talking hundreds of millions of bucks) fines if they can't sell through their iPhone allotments, and unless a significant market shift happens within the next few months, that situation seems remarkably unlikely. We're told that Vimpelcom pledged to sell 1.5 million iPhones within two years, while Megafon committed to 1 million and MTS the same. Today, just 900,000 iPhones have been imported to Russia, with over half entering the country via grey market channels; we'll let you figure out the math there, but it ain't pretty for Russia's carriers. Of course, we're not shocked in the least -- after getting burnt by a bootable-but-not-usable iPhone over there, are you seriously going to give Apple another chance to win you over?[Thanks, Staska]
Apple taps MTS to bring iPhone 3G to Russia
Reuters reports that a "market source" has confirmed that Apple has finally sealed a deal to bring the iPhone 3G to Russia in an official capacity, launching on Mobile TeleSystems "likely" in ??????????? (October, that is). Neither MTS nor Apple would agree to comment on the situation -- no surprise there -- but seeing how Russia is one of the remaining gargantuan markets where the iPhone has yet to materialize, it seems like a no-brainer deal for all parties involved.[Via mocoNews]
First BlackBerry contract sold in Russia
Well, what do you know? We heard that RIM was gearing up to ship BlackBerry handsets to Russia in 2008, and lo and behold, the addiction is indeed sliding over to the world's largest country. British American Tobacco became the first client of BlackBerry service in the nation, and it's being provided by the beautifully-named Vimpelcom. As expected, Vimpelcom's customers will be handed the same 8700g model that was introduced to Chinese users when RIM broke into that territory last July. As it stands, the aforesaid operator is already in talks with some 40 more potential corporate clients, and rival Mobile TeleSystems is also getting set to unleash BB service with 30 corporate clients. Kudos, Russia -- prepare for splintered relationships, 24 hour work days and a feeling of anxiety you can't even fathom when service collapses for even a moment.
RIM's shipping BlackBerry phones to Russia in 2008
We're going to refrain from the "In Soviet Russia..." jokes and get straight to the point: RIM is bringing its BlackBerry phones to Russia in Q1 2008. Apparently the hang up was with Russian security agencies, but now that the two main carriers, MTS and Vimpelcom, have gotten approval from the FSB, the phones are finally able to enter Russia in acronymical harmony. MTS has had BlackBerry phones in Ukraine since October, any many business customers use foreign phones via roaming, but this is the first time in a while the phones are going legit in actual Russia. The carriers have been granted permission for one year of sales, but as we all know, once a few government officials go CrackBerry, they're never going back.
