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The iPhone is coming to the Commonwealth of Vodafone it seems.

Vodafone announces iPhone in 10 countries including Australia

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Danny Gorog07 May 2008, 9:44 AM

Australians will be buying the 3G iPhone through Vodafone -- along with residents of Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.


It won't be long now.

In a press statement just released, Vodafone have announced they will bring the iPhone to Australia, along with nine other markets around the world. The statement reads:

"Vodafone today announced it has signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten of its markets around the globe. Later this year, Vodafone customers in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey will be able to purchase the iPhone for use on the Vodafone network."

The press release came from The Reputation Group, Vodafone Australia's PR agency in Melbourne.

The Reputation Group followed up with an email to confirm that availability hadn't been announced but included added some additional comments from Vodafone Australia CEO Russell Hewitt:

“Vodafone Australia is enormously pleased to be included in the agreement to sell the iPhone to our customers later this year.

“The iPhone will be the perfect addition to Vodafone Australia’s mobile handset range. The iPhone’s Australian launch is well-timed to coincide with our plans to deliver an enhanced mobile internet and entertainment experience to customers.

“The iPhone has already proved to be extremely popular with customers in other parts of the world and Vodafone is confident that today’s announcement will be well received by all Australians who are keen to get their hands on their own iPhone.”

It's interesting to note that the Vodafone announcement says nothing about exclusivity, meaning that the iPhone might be available in Australia on more than one carrier, considering the recent rumors that Optus had won the rights to sell the iPhone.

With growing interest and anticipation in the rest of the world for the iPhone, and a recent report that the iPhone had been EOLed in England, this piece of information goes along way to completing the iPhone jigsaw that Apple created when it launched the revolutionary phone in June last year.

Vodafone's website now reflects the announcement.


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Douglas (Regular user):

All I have to say is, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! If I can afford it, I will most certainly be getting an iPhone now, seeing as Vodafone have it! Yay!

06 May 2008, 5:00 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Dan Warne (Administrator):

Vodafone may not have the BEST coverage, but at least they have decent rates... it also seems to be one carrier that is more prepared to consider different business models for selling airtime (e.g. their deal with DataWind to provide devices with SIM cards built in with unlimited access over a certain period of time as part of the purchase price, or their deal with TomTom to provide traffic information via GPRS to sat-navs at a fixed price, rather than a metered price.) Hopefully this carries through to attractive pricing for iPhone plans.

06 May 2008, 5:03 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Douglas (Regular user):

Agreed. I've never used Vodafone before, but I've not heard bad things about them, and they don't have a tower at Port MacDonnell yet, but I think I'll cope.

06 May 2008, 5:34 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Angus Kidman (APC staff):

What proof do we have that it's actually the 3G iPhone? The announcement is incredibly non-specific on this point. Vodafone does have a 2G network; maybe we're going to be the old stock dumping ground. Just a thought.

06 May 2008, 5:48 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Dan Warne (Administrator):

God, I hope not! Otherwise it will be an unlocking party for overseas-bought iPhones in Australia all over again.

That said, Apple doesn't generally do this and it wouldn't gel well with its premium brand to be flogging off old models in the colonies. More likely, it would continue selling 2G iPhones at reduced prices through its online refurb store, as it does now with superceded iPod models (some good deals to be had there!)

06 May 2008, 5:50 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Tin (Senior Forumologist):

Well, my O2 XDA IIs is heading for the end of it's days... And my contacts on Optus prepaid are drying up, so maybe it'll be an iPhone for me too. I guess that all depends on whether I'm allowed to run apps I want on it though... How'd that SDK thing go in the end?

06 May 2008, 5:53 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

McBanjo (User):

This is great news! It means that I can still stay on the same network if I maybe wanted to upgrade to the 3G iPhone.

Note to all: There is pretty much no way that it won't be the 3G iPhone.

Judging by the size of the actual announcement and limited details, it seems Apple's got this one in a lot of secrecy.

Tin: The SDK is due for release in June with the iPhone 2.0 firmware and will have a variety of apps that are free and that you pay for through the AppStore. If it's not to your liking the iPhone 2.0 beta firmware is fully cracked, so there's a good chance that you'll be able to Jailbreak the new iPhone version.

06 May 2008, 5:55 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Angus Kidman (APC staff):

I wouldn't say there's no way. Most likely the secrecy is because there's no official 3G iPhone anyway, but some of those other markets have quite large 2G populations (as does Australia, come to that). It's not inconceivable that there may be a two-tiered global launch going on. Though as Dan says, that might just lead to another hackfest -- though if there's going to be multiple carriers involved, that's presumably less of an issue than it has been.

06 May 2008, 6:09 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

McBanjo (User):

I did say there is 'pretty much' no way. But if past actions are any indication, Apple wouldn't make it's users suffer through the hell that is GPRS or 2G on a revolutionary internet device. It fights against everything they're going for. The iPhone is made for 2.5G (EDGE) and that is only supported by Telstra, so other users would be left with the slower speeds. It is possible that Apple could release two models, maybe in the global market, but I can't see Apple doing this for Australia. There'll be enough confusion with all the different plans as is. So all logic and reasoning points towards 3G. Otherwise I can't see a reason for the delay of bringing the iPhone to Australia, they could've released it with the UK launch.

I'm interested to see if there'll be a reduction in the current 3G internet prices to cater for this device. I'm also curious to know whether they'll have contracts to subsidise the likely enormous cost of an outright model.

06 May 2008, 6:33 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Angus Kidman (APC staff):

I'm trying to think of a response to McBanjo's comment that doesn't feature the words "oh please". Whatever the iPhone's merits, in-depth consideration of the speed needs of users is not high on the list. Sure, EDGE might have been cutting edge (ahem) in the US, but that didn't stop Apple rolling it out in the UK -- a highly 3G market -- did it? Apparently that didn't "fight against everything they're going for". Worship aside, Apple is a business - it's going for revenue. If it can see a chance to flog more iPhones by splitting the market, it will go for it. If it sees more opportunity in 3G only, it will go for that. But it won't be a bleeding heart decision either way.

06 May 2008, 8:13 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

McBanjo (User):

The point I was trying to make is that users would be left with GPRS speeds 'less' than the cutting edge 'ahem' EDGE. The iPhone has tons of web applications, particularly Youtube which doesn't work under these speeds (unless you have WiFi.) Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that the UK iPhones ran on EDGE. I don't want to sound like I'm defending Apple, but the reasons against a 3G iPhone in the US and UK were battery related. Since the first release, a new 3G chip has been developed which consumes much less power. There are always limitations and the iPhone design team obviously tried hard to get the most out of the iPhone. Apple doesn't want to compromise its credible battery run-time with a 3G chip that destroys a lot of what the iPhone had going for it. In a market as massive as mobile phones, Apple has no choice but to innovate, not mimic other mobiles with poor battery performance.

Why do we always go down the worship path? I never meant to imply that Apple makes decisions purely out of the goodness of their hearts. There's no reason to be worshipful when there's no legitimate economic incentive to introduce an EDGE iPhone into Australia on Vodafone anyway (other than maybe selling off old AT&T stock.) They have everything to gain from a 3G iPhone and everything is pointing towards a 3G iPhone announcement at WWDC in June. Nothing is certain, but you don't need half a brain to figure out that this is beyond speculation.

06 May 2008, 9:40 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Angus Kidman (APC staff):

I'm trying to think of a response to McBanjo's comment that doesn't feature the words "oh please". Whatever the iPhone's merits, in-depth consideration of the speed needs of users is not high on the list. Sure, EDGE might have been cutting edge (ahem) in the US, but that didn't stop Apple rolling it out in the UK -- a highly 3G market -- did it? Apparently that didn't "fight against everything they're going for". Worship aside, Apple is a business - it's going for revenue. If it can see a chance to flog more iPhones by splitting the market, it will go for it. If it sees more opportunity in 3G only, it will go for that. But it won't be a bleeding heart decision either way.

06 May 2008, 8:13 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Chris (User):

From the article - The iPhone’s Australian launch is well-timed to coincide with our plans to deliver an enhanced mobile internet and entertainment experience to customers.

I think that is pretty much confirmation of 3G

07 May 2008, 9:19 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Chris (User):

From the article - The iPhone’s Australian launch is well-timed to coincide with our plans to deliver an enhanced mobile internet and entertainment experience to customers.

I think that is pretty much confirmation of 3G

07 May 2008, 9:19 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

Nathan (New user):

I hope Vodafone can up their network speed and include data plan with second usb modem for my laptop (at a reasonable price)

Then I will feel truly mobile

06 May 2008, 7:02 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

djsflynn (APC staff):

I'd certainly consider it an interesting marketing move for one carrier to have the GSM iPhone -- for the masses who just want it because it's the sexy phone de jour -- while another has the 3G version.

But in such discussions, it might be worth noting that Vodafone has in fact got two '3G' networks. There's s current one at 2100MHz, which is the same 3G spectrum used by Optus and Three; and then there is Voda's plan (currently underway) to reclaim part of their 900MHz GSM spectrum and repurpose this using 3G HSDPA technology for their 'national mobile broadband network'. So it could be helpful to consider 3G as a set of technologies rather than a set of frequencies. Is there a chance that the '3G' iPhone might not have to be 2100MHz, but could rather be 900MHz? (Note that Optus has also announced an identical GSM-to-3G conversion).

Either way, I'm much happier about the notion of Vodafone being an iPhone partner than most other networks. As Dan says, while their current network coverage isn't a killer, Voda and Three have been the most aggressive in plans and in tailoring offerings to specific markets. If they see this as one more way to mop up customers from their bigger competitors, then good on them!

06 May 2008, 7:21 PM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

mukesh11 (New user):

Australians will be buying the 3G iPhone through Vodafone -- along with residents of Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey.
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20 March 2009, 9:52 AM (1 year ago)report abuse Send to a friend reply

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