After Vodafone confirming that they will be getting the iPhone to India, now its AirTel who has confirmed that they will be bringing the iPhone to India at the end of 2008 to its customers. AirTel has tied-up with Apple and they will be launching the iPhone in India. Both, the carriers have not confirmed if the iPhone, which they will be bringing will be 3G enabled or not. I think that the iPhone, which AirTel is planning to launch, will be 3G as the company has successfully deployed 3G applications in metro cities of India.
Hindu Business Line reports that, “Bharti AirTel has signed a deal with Apple to bring the iPhone to India later this year,” the company said in a statement. Sources, however, said that AirTel may start offering iPhones around Diwali festival to its over 65 million GSM-based subscribers.
iPhones have spurred into the Indian mobile phone grey market and are sold at apprx. $600 a piece. Given the huge subscriber base of AirTel and the unhappy customers of Vodafone, it seems the AirTel-iPhone tie-up will be more successful as compared to the Vodafone-iPhone one. Lets see, time will tell. But this Diwali, giving an iPhone gift with an AirTel connection will be seen as a trend.
SingTel will be distributing the iPhone in APAC with the help of its partners, which also includes AirTel.
iPhone release plans [Via:Textually]
* Singapore (Singtel)
* India (Bharti Airtel & Vodafone)
* Philippines (Globe)
* Australia (Optus & Vodafone)
* Italy (TIM & Vodafone)
* Czech Republic (Vodafone)
* Egypt (Vodafone)
* Greece (Vodafone)
* Portugal (Vodafone)
* New Zealand (Vodafone)
* South Africa (Vodacom)
* Turkey (Vodafone)
* Canada (Rogers)
* Latin America (unspecified but America Movil has the rights)