TIM may be frontrunner for Italian iPhone deal
While it's unlikely that Apple will announce iPhone availability for any additional countries this year, one of the next European nations to receive the touch-screen handset may be Italy, evidence in the latest iPhone software suggests.
Italian iPhone news site iphonetribu has gone to town on iPhone Software version 1.1.2, released Monday, revealing references to a preference file called "TIM_Italy.plist" amongst similar files for the four official iPhone carriers announced thus far -- AT&T (US), O2 (UK), T-Mobile (Germany), and Orange (France).
20801 23402 26206 310380 ATT_US.plist O2_UK.plist TextToBinaryMap.plist
20802 23410 310150 310410 CommCenter Orange_France.plist UnknownCarrier.plist
20808 23411 310170 310980 ISO2MCC.plist TIM_Italy.plist
22201 26201 310180 311180 MCC2ISO.plist TMobile_Germany.plist
TIM is short for Telecom Italia Mobile, a carrier partly owned by Telefonica, which also operates O2 in the UK. The evidence suggests that Apple may have already selected TIM as its frontrunner to carry iPhone in Italy, helped possibly by the company's existing partnership with Telefonica's O2, MacNN reports.
This isn't the first time that code within the iPhone's software has hinted at Apple's potential partnership plans, although those indications have been met with mixed accuracy. Back in July, and ahead of Apple's European iPhone announcements, the US version of the software included references to image files bearing the names of carriers T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Although Apple ultimately failed to reach an agreement with Vodafone, it did choose to partner with T-Mobile Germany.
Italian iPhone news site iphonetribu has gone to town on iPhone Software version 1.1.2, released Monday, revealing references to a preference file called "TIM_Italy.plist" amongst similar files for the four official iPhone carriers announced thus far -- AT&T (US), O2 (UK), T-Mobile (Germany), and Orange (France).
20801 23402 26206 310380 ATT_US.plist O2_UK.plist TextToBinaryMap.plist
20802 23410 310150 310410 CommCenter Orange_France.plist UnknownCarrier.plist
20808 23411 310170 310980 ISO2MCC.plist TIM_Italy.plist
22201 26201 310180 311180 MCC2ISO.plist TMobile_Germany.plist
TIM is short for Telecom Italia Mobile, a carrier partly owned by Telefonica, which also operates O2 in the UK. The evidence suggests that Apple may have already selected TIM as its frontrunner to carry iPhone in Italy, helped possibly by the company's existing partnership with Telefonica's O2, MacNN reports.
This isn't the first time that code within the iPhone's software has hinted at Apple's potential partnership plans, although those indications have been met with mixed accuracy. Back in July, and ahead of Apple's European iPhone announcements, the US version of the software included references to image files bearing the names of carriers T-Mobile and Vodafone.
Although Apple ultimately failed to reach an agreement with Vodafone, it did choose to partner with T-Mobile Germany.
Comments
From what I understand, TIM is in disarray at the moment in Italy and it's ownership might even be up for grabs (perhaps someone with more information about Italian business/politics could fill in here), but Vodafone is currently doing a big marketing push in that country, and would also be a likely contender (if you'd like my 2¢ worth of complete speculation).
Not the most well informed article.
While it's unlikely that Apple will announce iPhone availability for any additional countries this year...
Got any more sharp sticks you want to poke in my Canadian eye?