Romania, Philippines, Hungary on tap for Aug 22 iPhone 3G launch
The iPhone will make its way to Romania, the Philippines, and Hungary during the second phase of Apple's international iPhone 3G rollout later this month, local carriers announced on Wednesday.
Orange said it will be the exclusive provider of the Apple handset in Romania beginning on August 22, and plans to offer customers the "full iPhone 3G experience."
Prospective buyers are welcome to attend the carrier's official launch party at midnight on August 22, when doors of six Orange shops across the country will open simultaneously.
Those stores include the Orange concept store in Bucharest and the Orange shops in Iasi (Anastasie Panu Blvd.), Cluj (21 Decembrie Blvd.), Brasov (Muresenilor St.), Timisoara (Republicii Blvd.) and Constanta (St. Stefan cel Mare).
Beginning Thursday, customers can also register their intent to order online at the Orange's website.
Philippines
Separately, Globe Telecom announced it will bring iPhone 3G to the Philippines on August 22 alongside special prepaid and post paid plans that will allow consumers "to experience the exciting features of iPhone 3G."
Those special plans will come with free local mobile internet hours and free Wi-Fi browsing hours (in areas covered by Globe Wireless Internet Zones), the carrier said.
Customers interested in purchasing iPhone 3G with Globe postpaid and prepaid offers are encouraged to start making their reservations beginning today over the web, or by calling Globeâs 24-Hour Call-in Service via landline (632)-730-1000.
Hungary
Over in Hungary, the nation's largest wireless carrier, T-Mobile, said Wednesday it has won out the exclusive rights to offer the iPhone 3G to regional mobile subscribers beginning August 22nd.
Romania and the Philippines are just two of 20 additional countries that will gain access to the iPhone when Apple kicks off the second phase of its international iPhone 3G rollout on August 22nd. Another 30 countries are expected to be added as part of a third phase that will take place before year's end.
18 Comments
August 22 has been also announced as "D" day by all 3 mobile (GSM) phone carriers in the Czech Republic.
I wish that 22 August will be the "D" day for Greece too. So far, too much silence from Vodafone.
I already ordered a 16gb white iphone, as -a pay as you go- phone (unlocked).
Can't wait!
Yay, finally! I'm from Romania. I couldn't resist posting.
I hope the iPhone will restect the price of other countries. 199 euro the basic version... actually I hope it's cheaper. That would be a first.
basic iMac in US: 1200$
basic iMac in RO: 1700$
This is becoming a bit frustrating!
Yesterday I was in Manhattan. I walked from 32nd and 3rd Ave to the Apple store on the GM Plaza at 58th and 5th Ave.
What did I see?
A line like I see at Disneyworld!
There were metal barriers, with a line snaking three times around them. This was the iPhone line. I counted the people in one of the three snaked sections, and it was about 50, So there were about 150 people trying to get into the Apple store for an iPhone. How many inside on line for this, I don't know.
I also don't know how many made it, because there was an Apple employee with a box with strips of numbers that she was asking people about, who supposedly reserved phones, and who were given notice that the phone was in for them. What proportion of those on line had a reservation I don't know.
Once I found out what was going on, I left. This was about 1:30 in the afternoon.
How Apple is going to manage more country openings in the near future I simply can't imagine!
I know several people living here in the U.S. from the Philippines. I'm not sure how well the iPhone will go over. Apparently, the culture there is that people buy a new phone on a weekly to biweekly basis. Having the latest and the greatest is important to the under 30 crowd there, and a new iPhone is not released every two weeks.