French Carrier Executive Claims Frugal Customers Hurting iPhone Sales

[vigorblade]

Can you hear me now ?

They say that one of the best ways to be heard is with your wallet. I bet more "big phone" execs are now hearing loud and clear.

 

[liltechdude]

I can't speak for most of Europe, but I know what the situation was like for me during a week in Paris last summer. I had the choice between Orange, SFR, and Bouygues. I tried all three networks and they were VERY slow on HSPA+. My data connection was simply terrible. After my experience, I'm not surprised to see that mobile data is so cheap in Europe.

 

[RoastingPig]

broke customers.

 

[Iamthinking]

Old iPhone 4 good enough

I agree with the earlier comment that older smartphones do the job. I just picked up an iPhone 4 (new) on the weekend for $150 (no subsidy or contract) and couldn't be happier. Does 95% of what my wife's iPhone 5 does for 1/6th the price.
Iamthinking apple already has put out a cheaper iPhone, and it's called iphone4.

 

[Mackan]

Isn't this just another way of saying "iPhones are overpriced"?

Probably. The iPhone is usually valued to around $200 in parts, yet it costs $800-1000 to buy unlocked, in most part of the world.

 

[vmistery]

I suspect the French are sticking with their perfectly serviceable iPhone4 era models and fewer people on Dumbphones are upgrading to Smartphones? I doubt there is one reason but all leading to a decline.

For those talking about higher prices for Mobile contracts in the US. As a Brit I always assumed the higher price was because its a significantly larger country? (38 times or so I think?) than say the UK? Inthe main products seem cheaper in the US. Still glad I am on a 12 month iPhone 5 Contract with Vodafone here though :-D

----------

I can't speak for most of Europe, but I know what the situation was like for me during a week in Paris last summer. I had the choice between Orange, SFR, and Bouygues. I tried all three networks and they were VERY slow on HSPA+. My data connection was simply terrible. After my experience, I'm not surprised to see that mobile data is so cheap in Europe.

My 3G is fine in most places in the UK, 4G non-existent here though!

 

[nateo200]

Man if I could get unlimited text and talk with 3gigs of data a month for $26 (USD) I would be SOOOO happy...Verizon just screws my family so hard its like 320 for 4 smartphones in my house and we arent even that big users...I've always known about the Euros getting the good end of the stick and the US getting the **** end with this stuff but I can never comment on it enough! Carriers here are determined to get you by making BS plans that make sure you MUST pay at minimum $50 for a smartphone, they package it all together so you either get screwed with tiny data and semi-resonable bills or robbed and allot of data. And dont get me started on when Verizon charged extra for tethering....

 

[Ochyandkaren]

Austerians rejoice

AH!
You wanted austerity, didn’t you?


The ruling class/Bankers and their ilk/tentacles in Europe are clueless about the economy, for them political dogma is the new chic.

 

[sofila]

If you look at other countries, most consumers would not pay $100 per month for cellphone usage.

Obviously they're not the ones believing that now you can get an iPhone 4 for free...

 

[randyscandie]

Special offer right now from Saunalahti here in Finland, 19,90€ for 5000 talk, 5000 texts and true unlimited data with speeds up to 21 mbit/s per month or you can opt for the 4G variant which is exactly the same but you get up to 50 mbit/s unlimited data and it costs 24,90€ per month instead. However, recently there were news that some carriers are complaining that their infrastructure investment costs aren't keeping steady steps with earnings from "too cheap" cell phone plans and they might -in a few years time- introduce a similar system as in the States. I wonder how they will sneak that by the consumers here which are VERY price conscious. I would NEVER pay more than let's say 20€ a month for a cell phone plan, that's nuts! Also these days it's so easy to change providers, I've changed 3 times in about 6 months, jumping from one good offer to an even better and the provider I left keeps ringing me and texting to get me back with them, I love it. The competition is ridiculously fierce here.

 

[cedalone]

Here in France, you have choice, and you can save money if you keep your old phone.
You don't have to buy a new phone each 2 years if it's not broken. That's why, if you keep your old phone and switch carrier, you can have plan for unlimited calls/SMS and 3go data for 20€/month or less.
You can switch carrier when you want with this kind of plan, you are free, So you can even find cheaper plan with only 2hours call and unlimited sms for 2 or 3€ per month (without data, not good for an iPhone.
If you want to change your phone, you have to go back to "jail" for two years with a 60€/month for 2 or 3 hours calls, or buy a 600€ phone. That's why here, most of us keep our old working 3GS/4/4S after two years, switch carrier and don't buy the new one! All people i know do that....
Plus, iPhone5 is actually not ready for 4G in France...this is the second reason for me not to change.

 

[walnuts]

Hmm.. sounds like the Europeans are on to something. I'm all for technology (I'm obviously on a tech blog) but only so far as its doing something useful. Smart phones are reaching a pinnacle. We in America complain that Apple and others aren't innovating enough and the cell phone companies are struggling to find ways to get us to keep replacing our phones every year or two. The Europeans seemed to have figured one svelte brick with a touchscreen is basically as good as the next.

 

[Sy7ygy]

Wait, unlimited calls, texts and 3GB of data for $30?! That's like $100 in the states.

What you will learn with the UK is that 'Unlimited' means 'Lies' - just see how Virgin have been recently banned from advertising 'Unlimited' broadband.

All T's & C's contain a 'fair usage' policy - EG, advertise as 'Unlimited' but operate as limited.

Serves the country right after good old Margret Thatcher destroyed all industry and drove away company development - now the government has no control over any of the companies so they do as they please.

 

[k995]

We also retain significantly more of our income after taxes. It's a tradeoff.

So your taxes go to pay for apple and telecom providors? Talk about a stupid comment .

And yes more taxes in europe, they also get a lot more in return from the gouvernement (this has advantages and disadvantages)

 

[Sy7ygy]

So your taxes go to pay for apple and telecom providors? Talk about a stupid comment .

And yes more taxes in europe, they also get a lot more in return from the gouvernement (this has advantages and disadvantages)

EXTREMELY idealistic.

S

 

[turneruk]

The biggest problem in the UK is they keep putting us in 24month contracts, i still pay a decent amount and had to pay upfront for the phone. If they keep people in contracts that long then people won't buy phones all of the time.

 

[jlc1978]

European plans tend to be a lot better than US plans anyway. You guys are bent over and screwed repeatedly everyday.

Better is relative. In the US you can pretty much go anywhere and incur no additional fees, unlike Europe. Europe has some lower base rates and a paygo plan coupled with no charge for incoming minutes makes it real easy to receive calls from the US without paying expensive UK to US long distance fees. The US also has seen some movement back to unlimited voice/text/data (although speeds are capped) for around $50 and it will be interesting to see how the big 2 respond to that.

So, rather than saying one is better I'd say they are different due to the differences in markets and how the evolved and grew.

 

[Steve121178]

The biggest problem in the UK is they keep putting us in 24month contracts, i still pay a decent amount and had to pay upfront for the phone. If they keep people in contracts that long then people won't buy phones all of the time.

Just buy the phone SIM free and then get yourself a great SIM only contract for peanuts.

My 3 contract (12 months) entitles me to something like 5000 mins, unlimited texts and unlimited data for just £15.90 a month.

Of course I can then upgrade my phone whenever I feel like it and I am not tied to a daft lengthy contract.

With my other contract with Vodafone I get about 600 mins, 5000 texts and 500MB a month for just £10.50.

 

[heffeque]

I got in Barcelona for 60€:

• Fix phone line
• DSL 10mb internet line
• Unlimited fix phone call from fix number
• 100 minutes/month to mobile number from fix number
• Mobile phone line
• 500 min/month from mobile
• unlimited sms
• 1gb data

After all i belive is good price

That sounds like Movistar Fusión or Vodafone Base or something like that.
It's not that good of a deal. Orange and Jazztel have better AIO packages.

Example (Orange 45):

• 60 € -> 55 €
• DSL 10 Mbps -> DSL 20 Mbps
• Unlimited landline calls from landline -> The same
• 100 min/month to cellphone from landline -> 1.000 min/month to cellphone from landline + 300 min international
• 500 min/month from cellphone -> unlimited from cellphone
• unlimited sms -> The same
• 1gb data -> The same

Or you could go PepephoneADSL + OVH VoIP. It would also be cheaper than what you pay.

Anyway... still much more expensive than what French people pay.

 

[GoldenJoe]

Oh. The country with the 75% top tax rate has a financially burdened populace. What a surprise. Clearly, Apple should take responsibility and make the iPhone free.

 

[JHankwitz]

Really?

Is this article really newsworthy? They're telling us that people in financial straits will spend less money on expensive unneeded technology? Really?

 

[Plutonius]

I have a Touch 5g and a cheap pre-pay cell phone. I have wifi most places and it's a cheaper alternative to smart phones / smart phone plans.

 

[wheezl]

I can't speak for most of Europe, but I know what the situation was like for me during a week in Paris last summer. I had the choice between Orange, SFR, and Bouygues. I tried all three networks and they were VERY slow on HSPA+. My data connection was simply terrible. After my experience, I'm not surprised to see that mobile data is so cheap in Europe.

Yeah, I live in Italy now and hate using 3G when I go to France or Spain because the networks seem to suck so hard over there.

We have LTE here now for €35/mo but I don't have a device yet to test the real world speeds (waiting for the 5S. When a new phone works out to $1000 I tend to keep them for a while)

It the long run cell phones/plans are way cheaper here but the initial hit of a full priced phone keeps me from clicking the "Order" button. (this probably makes my wife happy)

 

[alent1234]

no way
everyone is always saying how europe is so awesome with mobile data and the USA is expensive and in the dark ages

 

[fabiettomac]

here in italy, with h3g:

400 minutes for calls
100 texts
2gb of mobile data (tethering included) - real speed is about 4-6mb in download and 2-3 in upload

plus, in my case, an unlocked iphone 4s 16gb

35 euro/month, without upfront. 30 months contract. and i can use the phone with others operators, if i need to. i can even sell it as long as i continue to pay the monthly fee.