Apple says 'oui' to Orange for iPhone
Apple confirms that French Telecom's Orange will be the exclusive carrier for iPhone; users to also get iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store access.
France Telecom's wireless carrier Orange will be the exclusive carrier of the Apple iPhone in France, both companies announced Tuesday.
The 8GB iPhone will become available in France on November 29 for 399 euros (including VAT) with any Orange-dedicated rate plan subscription, according to the joint company statement.
Didier Lombard, chief executive officer of France Telecom, had told reporters at a September event in Hanoi that his company's Orange brand wireless service was the chosen partner. Today's news release confirms this.
As in the states, French iPhone owners will have access to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store. The mobile version of Apple's iTunes store allows people to directly download songs to their iPhone without the need for a computer.
Earlier today Apple dropped the price of its DRM-free songs on the iTunes store from $1.29 to 99 cents. It also announced the release date of October 26 for "Leopard," Apple's new Mac OS X operating system.
