Vodafone seen as frontrunner for European iPhone contract

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple has yet to say with which international carriers it plans to partner on iPhone distribution, but one Wall Street analyst is citing sources in saying that heavyweight Vodafone is all but a shoe-in for Europe.



"Our sources indicate that Vodafone is most likely iPhone's carrier partner for Europe," analyst Shaw Wu, an analyst at American Technology Research, told clients as part of a broad research note on iPhone. "We believe Vodafone's 200 million subscriber base (compared to 61 million for AT&T, its USA partner), broad country coverage, and investment in advanced technologies make it a strong fit for Apple."



Wu, who raised his price target on shares of Apple by $27 to $145 on Tuesday, went on to say that Vodafone's presence and coverage in 59 countries gives it the global reach that Apple and its customers are looking for.



Apple has said that it hopes to launch iPhone in Europe by the fourth calendar quarter of this year. In February the Cupertino-based company reportedly sent representatives to scout out a Unipart Trade Logistics-operated mobile phone repair centre in Europe to determine whether it would be suitable to handle iPhone repairs for the region.



Meanwhile, reports obtained by both AppleInsider and other Wall Street analysts have suggested that Apple could introduce a version of the iPhone based on 3G wireless technology in Europe during the first half of 2008.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 53
    Apple will have to try a little harder with the iPhone in Europe I suspect. The market there is a little more mature, and the iPhone seems to be lacking some features that may be expected, for example multimedia messaging (MMS) as well as text messaging. Another example: it's not clear that the iPhone will work with the mobile video downloads now commonly offered by European TV channels, which would seem wrong for such an expensive device. Still, I'm sure some of these shortcomings will be adressed before launch - I guess the extra time is in part to allow the implementation of 3G or another high speed standard, now quite widespread in Europe. A strong partner like vodaphone can only help Apple adapt the device to the market.



    D
  • Reply 2 of 53
    spindriftspindrift Posts: 674member
    Although Vodafone are large in stature they generally don't have the same kind of business ethic that Apple usually adhere to. Orange would be a far better partner with Apple and in my opionion, would be able to offer far more to both Apple and the end user. I've been a customer to both Vodafone and Orange and my customer experience with Orange has been far superior. I also feel that Orange have a much, am I going to say it.. yep.. 'cooler' image than Vodafone.
  • Reply 3 of 53
    monomono Posts: 16member
    Dear Apple



    Please ensure you look closely at Vodafone's customer service record and satisfy yourself that the "200 million subscriber base, broad country coverage, and investment in advanced technologies" aren't blinding you to the one reason I would not choose this company unless I absolutely had to.



    I really want an iPhone, but I really, really don't want to be on a contract with Vodafone. I hope you can convince me that you make the right choice for what *I* need from a mobile comms company. If you must go with this operator at least let me have the option to pay full whack for the handset and just have a monthly contract, as I did with O2 and my Sony Ericsson K800i. I don't like to be tied to anyone - it gives them free reign for shoddy service. (O2, I have to say, though, are very good, even if their website and Safari sometimes aren't on the best of terms).
  • Reply 4 of 53
    banalltvbanalltv Posts: 238member
    Just please let it not have the Vodafone logo branded onto it in any way.
  • Reply 5 of 53
    plusplus Posts: 54member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple has yet to say with which international carriers it plans to partner on iPhone distribution, but one Wall Street analyst is citing sources in saying that heavyweight Vodafone is all but a shoe-in for Europe.



    Hmm ... whilst Vodafone might have their foot (and enclosing shoe) in the door with Apple, I think what is at issue is them being a shoo-in.
  • Reply 6 of 53
    monomono Posts: 16member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by plus View Post


    Hmm ... whilst Vodafone might have their foot (and enclosing shoe) in the door with Apple, I think what is at issue is them being a shoo-in.



    Doesn't "shoo-in" imply that some sort of rigging has gone on?



    Anyway, I'd much prefer Orange to be the partner. Their culture appears closer to that of Apple. Orange is a much smarter, cooler brand.
  • Reply 7 of 53
    rot'napplerot'napple Posts: 1,839member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by plus View Post


    Hmm ... whilst Vodafone might have their foot (and enclosing shoe) in the door with Apple, I think what is at issue is them being a shoo-in.



    They talk about 3G technology for the iPhone in the first half of '08. Can someone please clarify, is 3G technology something that would be internally related to the iPhone as a hardware component or software component.



    Remember Steve Job's lament about, and I am paraphrasing, "what if something new and great came along, what are the smart phone manufacturers going to do, add another plastic button, the phones are already out there".



    When the iPhone becomes 3G able an/or more storage available than the maximum 8GB, would that apply to the iPhone (first generation) as being able to upgrade utilizing these updates? Or do you have to go out and spend another $499.00 to $599.00 for another phone?
  • Reply 8 of 53
    mobiusmobius Posts: 380member
    God no, please let it be anyone but Vodafone.
  • Reply 9 of 53
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    My god, no, not Vodafone.



    I'd rather use 3 in that case.
  • Reply 10 of 53
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by daijones View Post


    Apple will have to try a little harder with the iPhone in Europe I suspect. The market there is a little more mature, and the iPhone seems to be lacking some features that may be expected, for example multimedia messaging (MMS) as well as text messaging.

    D



    The iPhone does have text messaging - it's right there on the main screen - SMS! It threads the conversations in the nice iChat-esque bubbles too.

    I don't think they will do MMS, as that is why the iPhone features real email - you can attach as many files as large as you want, and as much text as you want, without being imposed by size and character limits like MMS.



    I'm glad it's Vodafone - they are the best network in New Zealand, and If I have to resort to a contract, I'd much rather be with them than Telecom.
  • Reply 11 of 53
    NOT Vodaphone.......they are everything Apple is not. O2 maybe, orange even better but Vodaphone will kill the product. Lets hope Apples Market Research team are screaming at them....."No!"
  • Reply 12 of 53
    deanbardeanbar Posts: 113member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mono View Post


    Dear Apple



    Please ensure you look closely at Vodafone's customer service record and satisfy yourself that the "200 million subscriber base, broad country coverage, and investment in advanced technologies" aren't blinding you to the one reason I would not choose this company unless I absolutely had to.



    I really want an iPhone, but I really, really don't want to be on a contract with Vodafone. I hope you can convince me that you make the right choice for what *I* need from a mobile comms company. If you must go with this operator at least let me have the option to pay full whack for the handset and just have a monthly contract, as I did with O2 and my Sony Ericsson K800i. I don't like to be tied to anyone - it gives them free reign for shoddy service. (O2, I have to say, though, are very good, even if their website and Safari sometimes aren't on the best of terms).



    My sentiments exactly. Vodafone may have the best signal coverage here in UK, but not very good customer service. I am happy to forego the coverage for the excellent service and support from O2. On rare occasions they make a mistake, usually on upgrade time, but they are always happy to compensate financially as a goodwill gesture, and/or offer a product such as a bluetooth dongle free, as well. In the many years I have been with them, I cannot fault them, unlike Vodafone when I was with them.
  • Reply 13 of 53
    tomozjtomozj Posts: 54member
    I live in the UK, and I've been on O2 for years. They're alright, but a bit of a scam. I recently switched to T-Mobile who are good, but because they are based in the US also that would cause alot of problems with AT&T I guess.



    The #1 network in the UK for Apple I guess is Orange, because they are cheap in some ways, easy to deal with and have lots of customers who trust them and enjoy using their network. Orange also extends to parts of Europe, as I see when I'm roaming.



    Another network they could use is 3, but I think that it's based in the UK only and for anything 2G, it uses other networks (Orange, switching to O2 soon I think).



    Meh.



    -tj
  • Reply 14 of 53
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by the_snitch View Post


    The iPhone does have text messaging - it's right there on the main screen - SMS! It threads the conversations in the nice iChat-esque bubbles too.

    I don't think they will do MMS, as that is why the iPhone features real email - you can attach as many files as large as you want, and as much text as you want, without being imposed by size and character limits like MMS.



    I'm glad it's Vodafone - they are the best network in New Zealand, and If I have to resort to a contract, I'd much rather be with them than Telecom.



    If Vodafone is the best in NZ - I feel sorry for you, because they are utter *&^%$% here in Ireland.



    Unfortunately, I am a Vodafone customer and I would love to ditch them but there is one spot in the country I need to use my phone where you can only get a Vodafone signal - otherwise I would dump em quick.



    Vodafone in Ireland do not let you use an email client on your phone unless you have a contract. They wont let you use your mobile as a IRDA modem for your laptop either unless you are on a contract.



    I wouldn't put it past them to try and insist the WiFi is nobbled as well - actually I 'expect' them to insist on it.



    If you are on pay-as-you-go, they basically try not to let you do anything except talk and text. Their business model seems based on trying to force as many customers as possible onto monthly accounts/contracts.



    Much as I would love an iPhone, I wont be getting one until I can buy one that is unlocked.
  • Reply 15 of 53
    zandroszandros Posts: 537member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tomozj View Post




    Another network they could use is 3, but I think that it's based in the UK only and for anything 2G, it uses other networks (Orange, switching to O2 soon I think).



    It exists in Sweden too, with fallback to Vodafone/Telenor for GSM.
  • Reply 16 of 53
    smsm1smsm1 Posts: 6member
    I've never had a problem with Vodafone. They have a decent coverage, much better than the other networks and have a reasonable pay as you go plan for everything but data. A lot of my friends who are on O2 or Orange have problems getting a signal even so I have no problem. Mind you Mainland Europe has a much better signal than the UK. T-Mobile is my next choice at the moment due to their excellent pay as you data plan. However T-Mobile's coverage has a problem with their crap coverage.
  • Reply 17 of 53
    mbaynhammbaynham Posts: 534member
    awww.. not vodaphone...
  • Reply 18 of 53
    As a UK resident and a user of all the providers (bar 3) at some point I have to agree with the majority here. Vodafone's customer service and reliability are dire. I was with T-Mobile for quite a while and found them good but with pathcy coverage. O2's service was less good, coverage better. But I've been a very happy Orange customer for 3 years now. Really excellent in everyway. I think Apple choosing Vodafone is the one thing which might prevent me buying an iPhone.
  • Reply 19 of 53
    morrismorris Posts: 25member
    A phone without SMS/text messaging. They'd sell three (ok, perhaps four) units in the whole of Europe.
  • Reply 20 of 53
    iioiio Posts: 2member
    it would be a great pity if Vodafone get an exclusive deal with the iPhone.

    in Ireland O2 is a retail seller for Apple products and it would seems only

    natural that they sell it.



    no way am I switching to Vodafone
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