If the flurry of hack-happy geeks jumping on iPhone unlocking methods didn’t tell Apple that there’s a big audience for their handset free from carrier intrusion - including people willing to pay handsomely for the privilege - then maybe France Telecom’s early sales will get the message across. Orange, who are Apple’s carrier partner in France, have revealed that of the 30,000 iPhones the sold in the first five days it was on sale there, 20-percent were unlocked.
 
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Written by Chris Davies on December 6th, 2007 with no comments.
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It was the challenge many hoped would see an increase in availability of unlocked iPhones, but today the courts decided in favour of T-Mobile Germany and gave them permission to continue selling the Apple handset locked to their network. The case - brought by spurned rival Vodafone, who claimed that the exclusivity deal broke anti-competition rules - had resulted in a temporary injunction preventing T-Mobile from locking the iPhone, as well as forcing them to offer up an entirely unlocked and contract-free version.
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Written by Chris Davies on December 4th, 2007 with no comments.
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After speculation that France Telecom would offer an iPhone unlocking service for around €100, the official word from the carrier has confirmed that customers choosing to buy the handset after its launch this evening will have the option of either an iPhone-specific plan, a generic Orange plan or of buying the phone completely unlocked. As in other countries with the iPhone, the carrier has put together a number of special iPhone contracts each with a 2-year service agreement and unlimited data access; these are priced from €49 to €119 a month, with the iPhone itself costing €399 ($589). Alternatively, for €649 and a €100 unlocking fee, Orange will sell you a carrier-independent iPhone; that puts it comfortably into the predicted price range quoted by network CEO Didier Lombard.
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Written by Chris Davies on November 28th, 2007 with no comments.
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One week after T-Mobile Germany unveiled their plans to sell an unlocked version of the iPhone for €999, in doing so satisfying an anti-competition ruling engineered by Vodafone and prompting a flurry of interest in what could prove to be an alternative unlock method, comes news regarding France Telecom’s intention to offer more flexibility as to which SIM can be used in the Orange iPhone. CEO Didier Lombard is quoted as claiming the device will be priced at “over 500 euros, but well below 1,000 euros” which would put it in the $740 to $1,500 range; meanwhile, there are suggestions that Orange will, for a price, unlock a French iPhone soon after purchase.
MacScoop reports that for around €100 France Telecom will remove the SIM lock from the iPhone, allowing those who do large amounts of travel to use local SIM cards in their handset and thus avoid high roaming charges. However that fee does not break the two-year contract, meaning that although you could use another carrier’s service you’d still be paying Orange a monthly fee.
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Written by Chris Davies on November 27th, 2007 with no comments.
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The first hands-on reports are coming in from buyers of the iPhone in Germany who have splashed out the full €999 asking-price for an unlocked handset. It turns out to be a typically Apple-streamlined process [translated], although if you were hoping to buy the phone and then flaunt it with an alternative SIM straight away you’ll be disappointed.
 
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Written by Chris Davies on November 26th, 2007 with no comments.
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