Apple announced an iPhone carriage deal with Vodafone Group for ten countries, including one market where Apple already has a carrier deal in place. Vodafone will sell the iPhone in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Italy, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey sometime this year. The iPhone is currently sold in just a handful of markets, including the U.S., U.K., Germany, France and Spain.
While Vodafone has been passed over for iPhone deals in the past, including markets like the U.K. and Germany, winning a distribution deal in Italy is sure to stir the pot in that market: Telecom Italia already has a deal with Apple to distribute the iPhone. Neither carrier has provided details on the arrangement, however. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, 91 percent of Italian mobile users do not have contracts. They use prepaid services. It might take two carriers to convince the masses to ink two-year contracts.
For more on the iPhone deals:
- read this report from the WSJ (sub. req.)