3 UK looks at carrying iPhone 3GS in 2010
updated 11:55 am EDT, Thu October 22, 2009
Company reverses course on smartphones
3 UK is hoping to carry the iPhone 3GS sometime in 2010, according to the carrier's CEO, Kevin Russell. Russell comments that the company has had a deficit of smartphones to date, as a result of focusing on conventional phones in order to build up a subscriber base. That should change in 2010, as the company intends to add a variety of high-end smartphones to its network. Efforts are beginning late this year with devices like the HTC Hero.
Past reports have claimed that 3 is already offering iPhones to customers in a backdoor capacity. Instead of being sold directly, the phones are allegedly being given to high-paying customers considering switching to another carrier. The policy could raise the ire of Apple during negotiations, as the free units are said to have been bought unlocked from other markets, without direct consent.
