$bbtitle
Apple Stock: 196.19 ( +2.07 )
RSS RSS Twitter Twitter
Search:
AppleInsider.com Archives News Bytes Reviews Anonymous Mailer Submit Story AppleInsider Forums Mac Prices Polls Advertise on AppleInsider Contact AppleInsider
Save over $268 on MacBook Pros and $150 on iMacs with special coupons: Mac Pricing Guide updated Feb. 9th (Find the best prices on Macs).
Thursday, May 8, 2008

Job listings hint at multi-carrier iPhone in Australia, Brazil

By Aidan Malley

Published: 06:35 PM EST

Following word from individual carriers of wider regional launches, Apple has posted a bevy of new job opportunities that allude to multi-carrier strategies in some -- but not all -- of the iPhone's new territories.

iPad hands-on preview
Posted shortly after America Movil and Vodafone announced their international deals with Apple to offer the iPhone, the listings for Australia, Brazil and Mexico all make clear whether new hires are meant to support one or more carriers.

In Australia, posts for a Lead Carrier Certification Engineer and a Field Validation Engineer both have any prospective candidates heading up the approval of iPhones with "Cellular Carriers," according to Apple, potentially making Vodafone's deal just one among others.

The new vacancies lend support to a rumor circulated late last week of a deal with Optus that also claimed the carrier wouldn't have exclusive access to the iPhone. This claim also had Optus announcing its strategy in mid-May, or within weeks of both the new multinational announcements and Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in mid-June.

A similar pattern is emerging with job listings for Brazil. Apple job entries for Carrier Certification Engineers in lead and general roles, as well as a third for a Field Test Engineer, also indicate that any of the future employees will be asked to help approve the touchscreen handsets for more than one provider.

The South American country has so far only been given iPhone support from America Movil's local division, Claro, but could potentially be served by carriers such as Brasil Telecom, Oi, Vivo, or Telecom Italia's Brazilian operation, TIM Celular. TIM is already poised to offer the iPhone in its native Italy, but hasn't announced any foreign agreements.

Enthusiasts in Mexico may have relatively limited choices, however. A solitary position for a Carrier Certification Engineer in Mexico City only makes mention of a single wireless carrier rather than the plural mentioned elsewhere. This would leave only America Movil's Telcel as the iPhone's supplier in the Latin country. Past rumors haven't suggested multi-carrier deals for the iPhone in the area.

Separately, the Australian listings also make mention of a need for experience with CDMA phone networks as well as GSM, EDGE, and UMTS, but is not believed to relate to the launch of a phone supporting the technology in the country: Telstra, the lone carrier continuing to support CDMA for the island state, shut down the service in late April in favor of its GSM and UMTS networks.

Filed under : iPhone 34 Comments ] 
Story topics: Vodafone, America Movil, Telecom Italia, Telstra, Claro, Optus   Print ] [ Story Link ] 



Mac Poker players can play Full Tilt Poker for Mac and get 100% to $600 free with bonus code MP600, courtesy of Online Poker Mac
AppleInsider Features
Hot Forum Topics

Recent Articles
Parallels takes virtualization speed crown in head-to-head with VMware
Apple releases iPhone OS 3.2 SDK for iPad
Apple seen extending exclusive iPhone deal with AT&T
iTunes price increases mean slower sales for music labels
Apple introduces 64-bit Aperture 3 with Faces and Places
Apple's share of U.S. smartphone market grows to 25% - study
iPhone OS 3.1.3 sees 14% adoption in 6 days, new hack released
Amazon rethinking Kindle in the wake of Apple iPad
Purported 4th gen Apple iPhone parts show largely unchanged design
Execs say Apple could lower iPad price if market demands it - report
Consumers lose interest in iPad after Apple's unveiling - survey
Higher Amazon e-book prices expected to coincide with iPad launch
Inside Apple's iPad: VGA video output
Unannounced Core i7 Apple MacBook Pro surfaces in benchmarks logs
Apple's new beta of Mac OS X 10.6.3 includes few changes
One in five physicians likely to purchase Apple iPad - study
Sling Media says it didn't change iPhone SlingPlayer to appease AT&T
Credit Suisse: 75% chance AT&T keeps iPhone exclusivity in 2010
Apple denying iPhone apps that use location framework for targeted ads
Apple's iPad deal gives Hachette pricing leverage against Amazon
Eccentric but effective Steve Jobs pitches iPad to NYT execs
Owners of flickering 27-inch iMacs claim 15% refund from Apple
IDC: Apple iPhone was No. 3 smartphone in 2009 with 14.4% of market
Future Apple iPhones could share current location during a call
AT&T, Sling Media partner to allow 3G access on iPhone SlingPlayer
Apple's iTunes Preview now offers browser-based App Store access
Amazon acquires touch-screen maker for future Kindle project
Nehalem Mac Pro systems suffer audio-based performance issues
Two new hires are Apple's latest moves in mobile advertising
AT&T outbid Verizon with cheaper Apple iPad data plans - rumor
Apple seen moving 2M iPads in 2010 before sales 'catalyst' emerges
Apple iPad deal pushes another publisher to renegotiate with Amazon
Apple allegedly selects new manufacturer for next-gen iPhone
ScrollMotion tapped by publishers to develop textbook apps for iPad
Apple denies iMac production halt as shipment times improve
Apple releases iPhone OS 3.1.3 with battery reporting fix
U.S. senator presses Apple on human rights practices in China
Photo of Apple's next-generation iPhone in the wild - sources
Despite sales growth, Apple's iPhone loses market share - report
Intel 6-core i7-powered Mac Pro rumored to launch this month

 
Advertisements








AppleInsider RSS Feed
AppleInsider © 1997-2008
Please review our Privacy Policy.
Written/Edited/Compiled by the AppleInsider Staff.