France's Orange signed a deal with Apple to sell its iPhone in the Middle East, Africa and several European countries, a Reuters report said.
France Telecom's Orange said in a one-sentence statement that it will sell the handset in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and African markets later this year, the report said.
France Telecom spokesman Bertrand Deronchaine, quoted by the Reuters report said Orange will be the exclusive iPhone provider in Belgium and Romania, with co-exclusive or non-exclusive deals in other countries.
He declined to offer more details about the arrangement.
Apple has so far struck exclusive deals for the iPhone with AT&T in the US, O2 in Britain, T-Mobile in Germany and Orange in France.
Apple plans further expansion later this year through the partnership with Mexico City-based America Movil SAB. The top mobile phone operator in Latin America said earlier this month it plans to bring the iPhone to all of its Latin American operations.
Apple has also signed deals with Rogers Communications to sell the device in Canada; Milan-based Telecom Italia SpA to sell the iPhone in Italy; and Vodafone Group PLC, the world's largest mobile company by sales, to sell it in 10 countries, including Australia, India, Italy and Turkey.