http://www.t3.com/news/are-3-and-t-mobile-selling-iphones-without-apples-consent?=42237
With O2 and Orange offering the iPhone already, and Vodafone jumping in on the act in January, 3, T-Mobile and Virgin must be feeling a bit left out right now.
Or are they? Because we've been receiving several emails a week on the subject of 3 and T-Mobile offering iPhones under the radar, to customers threatening to quit to go to O2 or Orange for an iPhone. By the sounds of it this backdoor offer is much the same way Play.com managed to sell unlocked iPhones a few months back, with the handsets bought in Europe and sold with their SIM cards and contracts.
T-Mobile offering iPhones on the quiet isn't exactly new, as we first became aware of this a few months back. But innocent underdog 3 Mobile, engaging in risky business? Never, we had told ourselves.
Our most recent email on the subject came from tipster Ronan, who claimed his friend threatened to leave 3 to join Orange, so he can buy an iPhone. Once 3 was told this, they apparently offered him an iPhone 3G, 1,100 minutes and 1,000 free texts a month, along with unlimited data, all for a mere £30 a month. He had to pay £100 upfront for his iPhone 3G, with the contract length 18 months. If he'd gone for a 24-month contract, he could've got the iPhone for free.
Last month the Telegraph reported on this loophole which is allowing other networks to sell the iPhone quietly, saying "it is understood that 3 and T-Mobile are only offering the phone to the most high-value customers."
"T-Mobile has been offering the iPhone in this way since the summer, but 3 has only recently begun to exploit the loophole."
Apparently T-Mobile has been selling no more than 150 iPhones a week, to those spending at least £75 a month on contracts. It's believed that only iPhone 3Gs have been sold, presumably so that if Apple catches wind they won't be as cross as they'd be if their latest handsets were being flogged. T-Mobile already sells the iPhone in Germany, whereas 3 sells it in Australia and Hong Kong, amongst other countries.
With O2 and Orange offering the iPhone already, and Vodafone jumping in on the act in January, 3, T-Mobile and Virgin must be feeling a bit left out right now.
Or are they? Because we've been receiving several emails a week on the subject of 3 and T-Mobile offering iPhones under the radar, to customers threatening to quit to go to O2 or Orange for an iPhone. By the sounds of it this backdoor offer is much the same way Play.com managed to sell unlocked iPhones a few months back, with the handsets bought in Europe and sold with their SIM cards and contracts.
T-Mobile offering iPhones on the quiet isn't exactly new, as we first became aware of this a few months back. But innocent underdog 3 Mobile, engaging in risky business? Never, we had told ourselves.
Our most recent email on the subject came from tipster Ronan, who claimed his friend threatened to leave 3 to join Orange, so he can buy an iPhone. Once 3 was told this, they apparently offered him an iPhone 3G, 1,100 minutes and 1,000 free texts a month, along with unlimited data, all for a mere £30 a month. He had to pay £100 upfront for his iPhone 3G, with the contract length 18 months. If he'd gone for a 24-month contract, he could've got the iPhone for free.
Last month the Telegraph reported on this loophole which is allowing other networks to sell the iPhone quietly, saying "it is understood that 3 and T-Mobile are only offering the phone to the most high-value customers."
"T-Mobile has been offering the iPhone in this way since the summer, but 3 has only recently begun to exploit the loophole."
Apparently T-Mobile has been selling no more than 150 iPhones a week, to those spending at least £75 a month on contracts. It's believed that only iPhone 3Gs have been sold, presumably so that if Apple catches wind they won't be as cross as they'd be if their latest handsets were being flogged. T-Mobile already sells the iPhone in Germany, whereas 3 sells it in Australia and Hong Kong, amongst other countries.