Report: iPhones en route to Russia

Russians may soon get their chance to queue up to buy the Apple iPhone. Legally, that is.

The iPhone 3G.

(Credit: Apple)

Official sales of the iPhone are likely to start in October, with a deal having been reached between Apple and Mobile TeleSystems, Russia's largest carrier, according to the Reuters news agency, citing market sources. A second, carrier has also signed a framework agreement, and a third deal is in the offing, Reuters reported.

A mobile telecommunications analyst told Reuters that MTS aims to sell 1 million iPhones within two years, and that total sales by the top three carriers over that two-year period are expected to hit 3.5 million units.

The price to Russian consumers is expected to be 24,000 rubles, or about $990. That's far higher than the price in the U.S., but much less, Reuters said, than the price of unauthorized iPhones already being scooped up in Russia.

There are reportedly 600,000 unauthorized iPhones already in Russian hands.

When Apple announced the latest iPhone, the 3G, in June, CEO Steve Jobs set a goal of getting the device into 70 countries "over the next several months." But in the big map of the world on display during his keynote address at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, Russia was a large and conspicuous void--as was its sizable neighbor, China.

Also at WWDC in June, Jobs said he expected Apple to sell 10 million phones this year.

[cyclelogicpress.com]

Whoa. Those Ruskies must have a lot of excess cash ... but I guess after one has his mandatory fur hat what can one spend his money on? :)

[Trane Francks]

Vodka, and lots of it!

[Mr. Dee]

$990! Whatever happened to Steve Jobs make it cheaper philosophy? I hope when this phone comes to Jamaica I won't have to pay an arm or a leg. If it ends costing more than what was revealed at WWDC '08, I am making a friend purchase one in the states and using it on the Digicel network since I would even like to avoid the hassle of transferring my number.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Forget it, Dee. Here in India, the phone is priced at near about $800, while the data plan
is priced at about 80$ for 500MB.

[aristotle_dude]

ParcSboj, stop trying to speak for everyone. Most AT&T customers are not having problems and virtually everyone outside of the US is not having persistent problems. I wonder why that might be. Hmmm... Oh, that's right, they are not on AT&T.


Satisfied Canadian here on Fido with 3G data speeds up to 2.2Mbps.

[greenaces]

They're already in Russia people just order unlocked phones from sites other than apple