Iphone available on other networks?

Bebop

I have heard that Apple are to make the IPhone available to all networks later this year,
If this is true you will see more competition and possibly lower charges for 3G,
while we nerds welcome the challenge of Jailbreaking and unlocking the IPhone, businesses cannot go this route, if your mobile contract is with Vodafone you are stuck with the BlackBerry

Tom Dunne

Source?

This one has been doing the rounds for ages.

Bebop

Vodafone users forum

https://forum.vodafone.ie/index.php?/topic/15-iphone/page__p__25__hl__IPhone__fromsearch__1&#entry25

Purple Gorilla

Until the exclusivity agreement is supposedly over (September/October iirc) we won't really know. The recent rumours are that Vodafone over here will be getting the iPhone 3G and T-Mobile and Orange in the UK will get the iPhone 3G. O2 still have the exclusive agreement for the 3GS and they still have the contract to sell iPhones up to 2012.

The rumours about the iPhone 3g becoming available on T-Mobile and Orange in the UK seem fairly believable. I'd just be wondering if O2 Ireland Piggybacked on O2 UK's agreement with Apple back in 2007? Or maybe Telefónica Europe did the negotiating with Apple on behalf of all their EU networks and once they secured the exclusivity agreement, they left it up to the national carriers to introduce the iPhone how they wished.

Both seem pretty plausible

Tom Dunne

Bebop wrote: »

Vodafone users forum

https://forum.vodafone.ie/index.php?/topic/15-iphone/page__p__25__hl__IPhone__fromsearch__1&#entry25

Ah, seriously?

There's nothing there bar wild speculation.

I honestly don't see why Apple would allow the older models on other networks, while retaining the newer models for O2. Do they even make the older models any more? What happens when the older models run out? Do they turn around to T-Mobile and Vodafone and say "sorry - we don't make them any more".

Purple Gorilla

Apple never said they were discontinuing the 3G. Infact, all the rumours make perfect sense. Vodafone is considered a business network. Apple want to eat into Blackberry's marketshare with businesses and corporations and I believe them making that very clear at the last WWDC and with the whole Microsoft Exchange support etc.

Also, Apple doesn't really have any loyalty to O2. Apple cares about it's profits and if it sees that they would sell more units by letting Vodafone sell the iPhone 3G while making a dent in the corporate market, then they'll do it. At the same time, they want to keep the exclusive feeling about the iPhone and maybe don't want to upset their relationship with O2 so the iPhone 3GS remains exclusive.