X-bit labs

T-Mobile to Exclusively Sell Apple iPhone in Germany for €399.

Apple Chooses T-Mobile to Distribute iPhone in Germany

Category: Mobile

by Anton Shilov

[ 09/19/2007 | 04:41 PM ]

Apple and T-Mobile on Wednesday announced that T-Mobile will be exclusive carrier for Apple’s iPhone cell phone in

<%BANNER[article_nw]%>

Germany. The device will go on sale in November and will cost considerably more compared to its price in the United States, just like other electronics.

“We are convinced that we can get our customers excited about experiencing the mobile internet with the iPhone. I am proud that Apple and T-Mobile have become partners. The best mobile device currently on the market will soon be operating on the best network in the country,” said  Hamid Akhavan, chief executive of T-Mobile International.

By the end of 2007, T-Mobile will be the only network operator in Germany to offer EDGE throughout its entire GSM network. EDGE accelerates the mobile data transfer rate to over 220Kb/s (kilobits per second), which will allow owners of Apple iPhone to use data-intensive services faster than in networks that only support GPRS, but still at the speeds considerably lower compared to today’s broadband Internet connections as iPhone does not support 3G. Apple and T-Mobile have not announced whether iPhone customers will be able to use one of 20 thousand T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots worldwide or one of 8600 T-Mobile Wi-Fit hotspots in Germany for free.

Apple iPhone is scheduled to go on sale on November 9 and will be sold in Germany through Telekom Shops of Deutsche Telekom and the T-Mobile web shop. iPhone requires a new 2-year T-Mobile tariff and will be available in an 8GB model for €399 ($556) including VAT. Exact tariff plans were not announced. Apple iPhone activation will require an Internet connection, an iTunes Store account or a major credit card.

Apple iPhone combines digital media player, phone, Web browser and personal digital assistant’s features. The device is equipped with 3.5” touch-screen instead of keypad, includes support for quad-band GSM, EDGE, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.0 EDR wireless technologies. The iPhone also features a 2 megapixel (2MP) camera along with a photo management application.