Official: iPhone phase 3 expansion begins at midnight
Several international wireless providers have sent communications to their subscribers or issued press releases announcing plans to begin selling Apple's iPhone 3G on Friday, with some planning midnight launches.
The new rollouts are believed to be the start of Apple's phase 3 international iPhone launch that will span to approximately 30 countries, 29 of which were revealed by AppleInsider earlier this week and are now officially listed on the company's iPhone website as "Coming Soon."
In particular, Vodacom of South Africa began text messing its subscribers on Thursday, inviting them to begin gathering at VodaWorld headquarters at 9:00 p.m. local time for a midnight launch. The transmission was followed by an email from Apple's European news service, linking to this Apple.com page.
Turkcell, the leading communication and technology company in Turkey,
sent out a formal press release announcing that it too would begin selling the iPhone on Friday. The carrier listed three calling plans, ranging from 75 YTL for 150 minutes and 150 text messages to 145 YTL for 1000 minutes and 1000 text messages.
Oddly, VOXmobile of Luxembourg -- a country not listed on Apple's web site -- has also been emailing subscribers, inviting them to its VOX shop in Luxembourg City beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday. The carrier claims to have only 140 phones to sell at its launch party, however, and demand is said to be "very high."
It remains unclear whether carriers in all 30 or so countries will simultaneously launch the iPhone in the respective countries on Friday, or if the roll-out will take place over the course of several weeks. Apple has not commented on the matter outside the aforementioned updates to its website.
The new rollouts are believed to be the start of Apple's phase 3 international iPhone launch that will span to approximately 30 countries, 29 of which were revealed by AppleInsider earlier this week and are now officially listed on the company's iPhone website as "Coming Soon."
In particular, Vodacom of South Africa began text messing its subscribers on Thursday, inviting them to begin gathering at VodaWorld headquarters at 9:00 p.m. local time for a midnight launch. The transmission was followed by an email from Apple's European news service, linking to this Apple.com page.
Turkcell, the leading communication and technology company in Turkey,
sent out a formal press release announcing that it too would begin selling the iPhone on Friday. The carrier listed three calling plans, ranging from 75 YTL for 150 minutes and 150 text messages to 145 YTL for 1000 minutes and 1000 text messages.
Oddly, VOXmobile of Luxembourg -- a country not listed on Apple's web site -- has also been emailing subscribers, inviting them to its VOX shop in Luxembourg City beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday. The carrier claims to have only 140 phones to sell at its launch party, however, and demand is said to be "very high."
It remains unclear whether carriers in all 30 or so countries will simultaneously launch the iPhone in the respective countries on Friday, or if the roll-out will take place over the course of several weeks. Apple has not commented on the matter outside the aforementioned updates to its website.
Comments
DON'T TRY AND UPDATE OR REINITIALIZE YOUR IPHONE THIS WEEKEND!
I suppose servers will be hit pretty hard again.
Ya Mon.....Jamaica is in da' house.......
LOL
Ya Mon.....Jamaica is in da' house.......
We be jammin
I live in Luxembourg and this VOX Luxembourg story has always looked quite odd to me. But things may find an explanation on the fact that they have been bought up by Orange a few months ago. That does nevertheless not explain why Luxembourg is not listed on the Apple web site. Note also that iTunes Europe is headquartered (for tax reasons) in Luxembourg. Luxembourg is to date the only country in central europe not selling the iPhone yet.
All in all they clame having 150 (10 for winners of a draw to be first in-line and 140 for the rest) iPhones for the launch party (on Friday, 6pm local time) plus a few thousands which should cover demand. They are sold unlocked, but only with a contract (two levels, 35 or 50 eur per month for 24 months). iPhones announced between 124 and 314 eur depending on contract and model. www.vox.lu
Pabolux
What's Text messing"
Skip
Sigh, Malaysia is not in phase 3...., will there be a phase 4? 3rd time the charm?
Anybody keeping track of the companies left out? How on earth can Cameroon and the Ivory Coasts get an iPhone and not Malaysia, Indonesia, Phillipines (not sure about that one), S. Korea, et all?
The new rollouts are believed to be the start of Apple's phase 3 international iPhone launch that will span to approximately 30 countries, 29 of which were revealed by AppleInsider earlier this week and are now officially listed on the company's iPhone website as "Coming Soon."
Apple Insider "revealed" this list earlier this week? That page has been up for quite awhile now, well before you revealed it.
Nearly all of those have been posted as "coming soon" since the iPhone 3G launch, only three have been "recently" added (Panama, Venezuela and Russia). It's the exact same list you posted on Tuesday.
Only 2 wireless providers with iPhone 3G available: Claro and VIVO.
CLARO (most basic plan): subscribers who sign up for a 12-month contract can purchase an 8GB iPhone 3G for about US$1,093 (R$1,999 BRL) or a 16GB model for around $1,257 ($2,299 BRL) when choosing a US$49.93 ($91.29 BRL) per month service plan that includes 200 basic minutes, 100 text content messages, 100 MB of data usage.
VIVO (most basic plan): subscribers who sign up for a 12-month contract can purchase an 8GB iPhone 3G for about US$820 (R$1,499 BRL) or a 16GB model for around US$978 ($1,789 BRL) when choosing a US$34 ($63,63 BRL) per month service plan that includes 50 basic minutes, 50 heart-to-heart minutes, 100 text content messages, 250 MB of data usage.
Oh, all the iPhone 3G are locked.
Brazil: the most expensive iPhone 3g in the whole world!
Please, Steve Jobs: unlock all!