T-Mobile: early 3G iPhone for Austria

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 06 May 2008 02:07

Your IT - Mobility

T-Mobile Austria officials have confirmed that the 3G iPhone will soon be available.

According to a report in Der Standard, the officials said Austria will be a test market for the 3G iPhone.

Marketing director Hendrik Kasteel said the new model would be accompanied by "more flexible" offers. No elaboration was provided, but this is consistent with previous suggestions that the 3G iPhone will be available without network locking. However, it could just mean that the company intends to offer the phone on a wider range of plans.

Suggestions have arisen in several countries that carriers will not get the exclusive deals we saw with the original EDGE model. Instead, the predictions are that one carrier in each country will get an introductory exclusive lasting for only a few months before the handset goes on general sale.

There is still a strong expectation that Apple will reveal the new iPhone at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, but Der Standard suggests deliveries may not begin until the northern Autumn.