O2 fuels 3G iPhone frenzy as Bharti says deal signed for India

[AppleInsider]

Telefonica's O2 subsidiary, the exclusive provider of Apple's iPhone to the UK and Ireland, has stoked anticipation of a 3G model with fresh comments Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has signed a deal that will make it the second iPhone provider in India.

Speaking to analysts and members of the media during a quarterly conference call, O2 Europe chief executive Matthew Key said Telefonica and Apple would make a joint statement in "the coming weeks" but declined to specifically say whether it would regard the much hyped 3G iPhone.

"It is broadly known we are now out of stock of the 8 gigabyte and we have got some 16 gigabytes left," he would later tell Reuters in an interview.

Apple has also let its inventory of iPhones run uncharacteristically lean in recent weeks. Both its online stores in the US and UK have stopped taking orders for the device, and recent polls of the company's brick and mortar locations have turned up spotty availability at best.

At present, the Cupertino-based company and its wireless partners appear to be avoiding talk of a next-generation, 3G model strictly as a matter of policy. Always a showman, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is likely to have planned a gala introduction for the handset at or before the company's annual developers conference set to kick off on June 9th.

Nevertheless, countless media reports and findings within resources of Apple's developmental iPhone software have revealed that the new phone should at they very least include 3G wireless and GPS capabilities.

For Apple, the stakes appear particularly high in India, where it along with Vodafone and just-announced partner Bharti Airtel will reportedly market the new handset through a staggering 250,000 Vodafone and Airtel retail outlets, including franchisee-owned shops.

It's reported that the rollout will be the largest in the world, handily dwarfing Apple's stateside plans that will see the device available in only about 7,000 AT&T and Apple retail locations pending any further developments.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[crees!]

I think I need to disconnect myself from AI, MacRumors, etc.. for the next few weeks; if that's even possible with my weak sense of self-constraint.

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by AppleInsider

Telefonica's O2 subsidiary, the exclusive provider of Apple's iPhone to the UK and Ireland, has stoked anticipation of a 3G model with fresh comments Wednesday. Meanwhile, Bharti Airtel has signed a deal that will make it the second iPhone provider in India.

Speaking to analysts and members of the media during a quarterly conference call, O2 Europe chief executive Matthew Key said Telefonica and Apple would make a joint statement in "the coming weeks" but declined to specifically say whether it would regard the much hyped 3G iPhone.

"It is broadly known we are now out of stock of the 8 gigabyte and we have got some 16 gigabytes left," he would later tell Reuters in an interview.

Apple has also let its inventory of iPhone run uncharacteristically lean in recent weeks. Both its online stores in the US and UK have stopped taking orders for the device, and recent polls of the company's brick and mortar locations have turned up spotty availability at best.

At present, the Cupertino-based company and its wireless partners appear to be avoiding talk of a next-generation, 3G model strictly as a matter of policy. Always a showman, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs is likely to have planned a gala introduction for the handset at or before the company's annual developers conference set to kick off on June 9th.

Nevertheless, countless media reports and findings within resources of Apple's developmental iPhone software have revealed that the new phone should at they very least include 3G wireless and GPS capabilities.

For Apple, the stakes appear particularly high in India, where it along with Vodafone and just-announced partner Bharti Airtel will reportedly market the new handset through about 250,000 Vodafone and Airtel retail outlets, including franchisee-owned shops.

It's reported that the rollout will be the largest in the world, handily dwarfing Apple's stateside plans that will see the device available in only about 7,000 A&T and Apple retail locations pending any further developments.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

Excellent news.

[melgross]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

Excellent news.

I just hope that supply meets demand for a change.

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by crees!

I think I need to disconnect myself from AI, MacRumors, etc.. for the next few weeks; if that's even possible with my weak sense of self-constraint.

This is Apple's doing. They've planned this over saturation and domination of the media by instructing their countless new carrier partners to announce deals in rapid succession, but never on the same days as one another.

Trust me, we're also getting tired of writing about it. But what can you do?

K

[BRussell]

Originally Posted by Kasper

This is Apple's doing. They've planned this over saturation and domination of the media by instructing their countless new carrier partners to announce deals in rapid succession, but never on the same days as one another.

Trust me, we're also getting tired of writing about it. But what can you do?

K

Can they really keep this going for another month? They seem to be running out of countries.

[nothowie]

Is the 250,000 retail locations a misprint? This can't be...if true it would only require sales of a few iphones per location to be incredibily successful..this is definately not priced into Apple's stock price.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by nothowie

Is the 250,000 retail locations a misprint? This can't be...if true it would only require sales of a few iphones per location to be incredibily successful..this is definately not priced into Apple's stock price.

I can't imagine that all the shops will actually carry the iPhone as most retailers are very, very small, but they certainly have that many outlets based on my experience.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by BRussell

Can they really keep this going for another month? They seem to be running out of countries.

There are plenty to go.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of..._by_population

PS: Based on the rumours, anyone want to figure what percentage of the world's population will have official access to the iPhone?

[boobooq88]

I was one of the people thinking late June.... But now I'm starting to think that they will announce it on the 9th.

I can see them announcing it on the 9th and available on the 15th (15th is the first day that the AT&T memo to employees states right?)

Because right now it just seems that a late June release would make no sense at all.

[iamnemani]

Originally Posted by nothowie

Is the 250,000 retail locations a misprint? This can't be...if true it would only require sales of a few iphones per location to be incredibily successful..this is definately not priced into Apple's stock price.

It certainly is true. The indian cell phone market is growing at the rate of about 8.5million new connections a month (and still only 25% of its population have cell phones)! Bharti Airtel is the largest provider, and vodafone is the fourth largest. So together they probably have that many retailers.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by boobooq88

I was one of the people thinking late June.... But now I'm starting to think that they will announce it on the 9th.

I can see them announcing it on the 9th and available on the 15th (15th is the first day that the AT&T memo to employees states right?)

Because right now it just seems that a late June release would make no sense at all.

The 15th is a Sunday, so i think that is out. At this point, I think if Apple was planning for June 27th release, they may have stepped it up to release during the keynote because of the supply shortage boondoggle.

Originally Posted by iamnemani

It certainly is true. The indian cell phone market is growing at the rate of about 8.5million new connections a month (and still only 25% of its population have cell phones)! Bharti Airtel is the largest provider, and vodafone is the fourth largest. So together they probably have that many retailers.

There is a cell phone retailers on pretty much every block I traveled to. It didn't seem to matter how rich or how poor the area seemed. Less common where actual Nokia stores and the like, but they were still plentiful enough.

[abrooks]

Originally Posted by solipsism

PS: Based on the rumours, anyone want to figure what percentage of the world's population will have official access to the iPhone?

500m according to Apple 2.0 blog.

[solipsism]

Originally Posted by abrooks

500m according to Apple 2.0 blog.

India and China are 2.46 Bullion (37%) right there. Add in the US and Brasil and the others and you are over 50% with official access.

They have over 500M with the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, France and Austria.


edit: I see, they are using the current subscriber per capita for the countries where Apple is using a specific carrier. I don't think that method makes much sense as people move between carriers.

[melgross]

Let's not forget that Apple admitted having underestimated demand for the phone this quarter.

Because of that, the phone is out of stock. it doesn't have to mean that the new phone is imminent. The end of June is still a likely date.

[boobooq88]

Originally Posted by solipsism

The 15th is a Sunday, so i think that is out. At this point, I think if Apple was planning for June 27th release, they may have stepped it up to release during the keynote because of the supply shortage boondoggle.

A Sunday? hmm didn't realize that (nor bother to look )

Maybe that Monday or Tuesday?

[anantksundaram]

Originally Posted by nothowie

..this is definately not priced into Apple's stock price.

I think you are right.

[GregAlexander]

Originally Posted by BRussell

Can they really keep this going for another month? They seem to be running out of countries.

There hasn't been much said by the existing 'exclusive' carriers in UK, Germany, & France. I expect bigger announcements from them soon along the lines of multi-country deals and dropping exclusivity locally. That will fuel the news sites for some time.

Of course, for O2, T-Mobile, and Orange - the multi country will be a good announcement for them just like Vodafone, Movil, Singtel etc, but the loss of existing exclusivity will be a downside. So they'll want to wait till closer to the actual release.

Hey, this very report says O2 is going to announce something "in coming weeks".