Being forced to deploy EDGE-based networks to support Apple's iPhone must have been a tricky decision over CAPEX costs and the possible marketing opportunity afforded by the handset. Having taken the plunge, European operators are now faced with the prospect of a 3G-enable iPhone becoming available in time for an announcement at MacWorld in May next year.
The current rumour is that the 3G will be made exclusively available to Vodafone, although how this already battery-hungry cell phone would cope with the power demanded by 3G circuitry remains a worrisome question.
Any move in this direction is sure to annoy O2 which has a 2-year exclusive on the current EDGE-only iPhone, and, given that six months is a long time in the cell phone business, rivals could well have overhauled Apple's advantage by this date.
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- on this at The Register and Yahoo News