Vodafone to launch iPhone in India - and Australia?

Stuart Corner
Monday, 21 April 2008 02:41

IT Industry - Strategy

India's Business Standard newspaper reports that Vodafone will launch the iPhone in India in the first week of September and quotes Apple sources saying Vodafone will also be a non-exclusive iPhone seller in Australia.

The paper quoted an "Apple source in Singapore" saying: "The carrier deal for India is being worked out with Vodafone," and that "Vodafone could also become the carrier for the Australian market once iPhone is launched there, though more than one carrier is likely for Australia."

Although Vodafone officially denied the claims, the paper said that sources within Vodafone had "confirmed the iPhone carrier deal with Apple [for India] though the exact commercial terms were not disclosed." and added: "the Apple retail sources also did not rule out Apple extending universal access for iPhone users to all major telecom carriers in India, acknowledging that users' ability to 'unlock' the phones tended to negate exclusivity deals.

India is planning to introduce full mobile number portability - The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended a nationwide deadline of June 2009.

The iPhone would be very much a 'high end' product in the Indian market, but nevertheless the potential sales could be huge: the Indian mobile market is growing very rapidly. According to IDC, user numbers are set to double to 500 million by 2010.

According to Business Standard: "The real signs of 'iFatigue' in India over the long wait for the iPhone are evident on Internet chat forums where users debate thorny issues like how to unlock the iPhone without losing call quality, free open source hacker kits like AppTapp, the best unlock deals at the right price, and quick bargains in the grey market...[However] those awaiting the launch agree that it's better to have the ecosystem in place before buying the phone. The rewards of buying the kosher version far outstrip the risks of stalking it down the murky alleys of the grey market, and hacking and re-hacking the device every time Apple releases a software upgrade."