Vodafone Scuppers T-Mobile's iPhone Deal

From The Telegraph
Apple has been forced to release a version of the iPhone in Germany that is not locked into a specific network or contract, scuppering its exclusive deal with Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile. Following a preliminary injunction, T-Mobile said that it would sell an unlocked phone for €999 until a final decision is reached. It will continue to offer iPhones locked into a two-year contract for €399. There is no indication that the case could be replicated in the UK. A Vodafone spokesman said: "This is particular to Germany. The regulatory situation is very different from the UK, so we won't be doing it here."

The case is due to come before the courts in around two weeks time, when Vodafone will push for Apple to sell unlocked iPhones at the same, or a similar price as the phone locked into the T-Mobile contract.

Traditionally, mobile operators have not shared revenues with handset makers. But the attractiveness of the iPhone has led to AT&T in the US, Telefonica's O2 in the UK, and T-Mobile in Germany paying a rumoured 10pc of call and data revenues to Apple.

When the phones go on sale officially in France at the end of the month, customers will be able to buy them locked into an Orange contract for €399 or unlocked and without a contract for a higher price, believed to be as much as €999. It is thought that Apple is also seeking a higher revenue share from Orange to make up for what they will lose on the unlocked phones.

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