Softbank iPhone 3G plans

Japanese carrier Softbank has announced its planned prices for the iPhone 3G, Reuters writes. Launching with the initial wave of 22 countries on July 11th, Softbank will sell the 8GB iPhone for 23,040 yen, or approximately $215; the 16GB iPhone should cost 34,560 yen ($322). It is expecting most subscribers to sign up for a 7,280 yen ($68) per month plan, which will guarantee unlimited data use and free calls to other Softbank users.

This plan would be 70 percent higher than Softbank's average income per person, roughly 4,310 yen ($40); the iPhone should thus help boost Softbank's earnings, says CEO Masayoshi Son. "There have been users who were just attracted to our low price," claims Son, "but the main point this time is feature attractiveness rather than price."

The company further expects to see people switching from Japan's first- and second-place carriers, NTT DoCoMo and KDDI, as neither company has so far signed a deal with Apple. This may change, as DoCoMo was once considered a front-runner for an iPhone contract, and it has expressed continued interest in recent days.

by MacNN Staff