Belgians are finally getting the chance to buy one of Apple's coveted iPhones, at the highest prices in the world.
An Associated Press report also said the 8-gigabyte iPhone will retail for €525 euros (US$825), more than four times the US price of €126 (US$199).
The 16-gigabyte version costs €615 (US$966). The same phone would cost €190 (US$299) in the US.
Belgian Enterprise Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne blamed a local law that forbids companies subsidizing one product by charging more for something else, the Associated Press report said.
He said he will try to scrap this rule in September because it stops phone operators from selling handsets inexpensively along with fixed service contracts, as is common elsewhere. For instance, Dutch customers over the border can pay just €1 (US$1.57) for an iPhone if they pick a contract with operator T-Mobile.
The Belgian iPhone carrier, Mobistar, claims it isn't worried that high prices will deter customers. It is expecting lines at stores in Brussels when the phones go on sale Friday.