India’s top mobile service provider will launch Apple’s 3G iPhone in India on August 22. Details at this
time are sketchy and pricing details have not been revealed yet. Two other companies, Estonia’s EMT and the Czech Republic’s Telephonica O2, will also launch the popular handset in their respective countries.
Airtel doesn’t have the exclusive right to sell and operate the iPhone in India. Vodafone will also have a piece of the action but hasn’t announced when it will launch the iPhone in its coverage areas. Airtel currently has nearly 70 million wireless subscribers.
When the newest generation of the iPhone reaches India, it won’t be fully functional right away. Neither Airtel nor Vodafone have 3G networks up and running. Buyers will have to wait for the country’s wireless infrastructure to be updated before all the potential of the 3G iPhone can be utilized.