http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/56215/258/262/3
http://arstechnica.com/journals/app...ead-in-race-to-become-european-iphone-carrier
Sorry if this is a repost but I couldn't see it anywhere.
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iPhone in Europe: T-mobile in the front seat?
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
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http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/item/56215/258/262/3
http://arstechnica.com/journals/app...ead-in-race-to-become-european-iphone-carrier
Sorry if this is a repost but I couldn't see it anywhere.
now, if it goes tmobile, is there any reason i couldnt just buy one from overseas and use it with my usa tmobile?
mmmmm... iphone.
mmmmm... iphone.
It would hardly come as a surprise considering T-mobile is a subsidiary of the largest telecommunications company in the EU, Deutsche Telekom, with over 100 million mobile subscribers and offering mobile service in Germany, the United States, Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovena, and Slovakia.
T-mobile would make a lot of sense because its so far spread! But I am so happy it isnt Orange because they have horrible coverage, are terrible at customer service and all round crap.
I really think the best solution for the UK market would to have it on all networks. If it is not on 02 or 3* then I'm not going to buy it. T-mobile is a horrible company in the UK had many friends try and leave them because of crap coverage when i have never hand any problems with 02 getting coverage in those same areas.
*Of course it's not going to be on 3 because the phone isn't 3G which is another reason i probably won't buy it.
*Of course it's not going to be on 3 because the phone isn't 3G which is another reason i probably won't buy it.
So Apple will snub T-Mobile in the USA and yet sell with them in Europe?
Hmm.
Well, I'd rather like to see iPhone on T-Mobile as they have, by far, the best tariffs. They don't have super coverage though, but it's acceptable.
In my little mind I still imagine Vodafone as the front runner. I also imagine Orange being prepared to sell subscribers to satan in order to get the contract, and rumblings about their trials of visual voicemail lend to that.
Hmm.
Well, I'd rather like to see iPhone on T-Mobile as they have, by far, the best tariffs. They don't have super coverage though, but it's acceptable.
In my little mind I still imagine Vodafone as the front runner. I also imagine Orange being prepared to sell subscribers to satan in order to get the contract, and rumblings about their trials of visual voicemail lend to that.
Orange will want to brand the phone which apple certainty won't want so i think that orange may be out of the picture.
3 have the best tariffs with a useable service.
Not every single phone is branded by Orange but I agree the majority are, which is a downside.
3 are a 3G only network which immediately rules out the [current] iPhone for them.
T-Mobile and Vodafone are huge in contintental Europe but I still think Orange are the superior network in the UK. T-Mobile & Orange certainly provide the best tariffs in the UK. O2 and Vodafone are expensive by comparison.
Being an Orange customer I'm obviously a little biased towards them and would love to see the iPhone released with them, or available to all networks. Orange were the first UK network to roll out EDGE, they have the best GPRS coverage in the UK and the best (or might be second best behind 3) 3G coverage.
I've heard there's about a 50/50 shot of a European T-Mobile phone that hasn't been unlocked working with a USA T-Mobile SIM card. Some won't take a US SIM, others will. This is a start at least....
I personally think O2 would be the sweet spot carrier and not because i'm a subscriber but they have a fairly large user base, they have decent packages and don't overly brand their phones (which works for Apple) and also pretty good customer service and also important....good coverage.
T-Mobile although the most popular tend to have a lot of users complain about them, brand their phone and coverage could be better.
Orange...i cant really say as i just try to avoid them as a plague but i admit i'm knocking before trying.
Vodafone have a solid network but i'm not a fan of their megalomanic complex. Plans are also a tad on the expensive side and their branding, especially that horrible proprietary software BUT they apparently have a superior GPRS/EDGE implementation and tend to get all the latest/cool phones, which might be an incentive for Apple to partner with them. Especially for the EDGE thing...even though most if not all UK networks are all about 3G.
IMHO Apple should go with O2 or just stand alone altogether but thats just my opinion
T-Mobile although the most popular tend to have a lot of users complain about them, brand their phone and coverage could be better.
Orange...i cant really say as i just try to avoid them as a plague but i admit i'm knocking before trying.
Vodafone have a solid network but i'm not a fan of their megalomanic complex. Plans are also a tad on the expensive side and their branding, especially that horrible proprietary software BUT they apparently have a superior GPRS/EDGE implementation and tend to get all the latest/cool phones, which might be an incentive for Apple to partner with them. Especially for the EDGE thing...even though most if not all UK networks are all about 3G.
IMHO Apple should go with O2 or just stand alone altogether but thats just my opinion
theres no way they will give the contract to t-mobile in the UK, thats suicide.
o2 is by far the most popular amongst most people with vodafone being close behind in buisness contracts. t-mobile would be a huge mistake as it has a bad image. o2 have the most suited image and network for the iphone.
o2 is by far the most popular amongst most people with vodafone being close behind in buisness contracts. t-mobile would be a huge mistake as it has a bad image. o2 have the most suited image and network for the iphone.
um I think you will find that o2 is behind vodafone in most cases in the uk. I wouldn't go with o2 or t-mobile, currently with vodafone and may switch to orange if vodafone don't give me a decent deal when I change everything
Just say no to T-mobile. I would rather Orange had the iPhone than them. I guess it is between o2 and Vodaphone really.
Firstly, I'm on Orange and i think they're great, never had any problems with them over the 3 years that ive been using them, and if you do your research the deals you can get are amazing. I would have no argument if they were the first carriers of the iphone...
However, remember that AT&T is just a limited time exclusive, and nothing has been mentioned that the same may apply over here in Britain; I expect the British phone companies are holding out to see the iphone's success in the US before signing their life away, and everything will depend on these first few months. If it is a flop, it may be the case that nobody wants to spend millions on getting the exclusive and it will go straight to general release. However, if, as everybody expects, the iphone flys off the shelves then I'd expect it to go to the highest bidder; most likely T-Mobile or Vodaphone (although for some reason I don't see Apple being Virgin's biggest fan).
However, remember that AT&T is just a limited time exclusive, and nothing has been mentioned that the same may apply over here in Britain; I expect the British phone companies are holding out to see the iphone's success in the US before signing their life away, and everything will depend on these first few months. If it is a flop, it may be the case that nobody wants to spend millions on getting the exclusive and it will go straight to general release. However, if, as everybody expects, the iphone flys off the shelves then I'd expect it to go to the highest bidder; most likely T-Mobile or Vodaphone (although for some reason I don't see Apple being Virgin's biggest fan).
Apparently T-Mobile's not so great in the UK, but FWIW, I'm vacationing with some friends and we're all over Germany (with a quick visit to Prague) and have found T-Mobile's coverage/call quality/data availability to be exceptional.
Two thoughts:
Doesn't Apple have to understand the entire European market, not just the UK market? Not that the UK isn't a huge part of that market, but I doubt they'll make a decision solely based on UK factors.
Besides visual voicemail, the carriers won't be able to brand the phone any, will have to sell it at Apple specified price points, and allegedly will have to share part of their iPhone subscribers monthly fees back with Apple. I can see how that may be a big pill for some carriers to swallow.
The iPhone will either be a huge success or a huge flop, and my guess is not every carrier is seeing it as a definite success yet.
no i think youll find o2 has the largest uk market share. however i have to say its not just about the uk here, for instance it is finaland that is the country with the most mobile phones in europe soo...
I think that will be per capita, per person. Not in total. They only have a population of just over 5 million people... Germany: 82 million, UK: 61 million
i dno tbh, i just heard terry wogan say it on eurovision song contest last night haha.
oh and note to every one, never say to your gf that the fat manlike woman serbia singer looks like her mum. haha
Yes, I never said they didn't.
Why have one carrier for the whole of Europe? That is (seemingly) Apple's decision and it seems you assume that should be the case. Each country should be dealt with on a case by case basis.
Ah, but the article suggests the big four all want iPhone, so obviously not that big a pill.
Ditto, why are they all competing for it then?
From Steve Job's "Were beginners and we have a lot to learn" iPhone quote he made the other day, perhaps they're trying to keep things as logistically simple as possible for the initial European launch? They're bound to run into problems and (IMO) having a single carrier to deal with until they get their sea legs under them offers them some flexibility, even if it initially limits the scope of the product.
Who knows? Maybe they will have learned everything they need to know form the US launch and they will deal with the European market fragmentation by choosing carriers country-by-country?
Many of the initial articles about how the US carrier selection occurred turned out to be factually incorrect. I don't have much faith that the speculation behind what's going on with the European selection is any better -- most of they seem to be from "analysts" who are guessing just like the rest of us are.