View this article at: http://www.macnn.com/articles/08/07/17/italian.iphone.petition/
Thursday, Jul 17, 2008 3:10pm
iPhone petition gains attention of Italian antitrust
Competition among multiple iPhone carriers in Italy has not resulted in low prices and happy customers, notebook italia reports. Controversy over service prices has led to a 10,000-signature petition, expressing disappointment with excessive costs.

The petition, translated, states that "we [the signers] want to declare our indignation against the tariff policy that TIM and Vodafone have decided to apply in the sale of the iPhone 3G." Comparisons are made to superior rates in the Netherlands and the UK, among other regions.

The petition has caught the attention of an Italian antitrust authority, which has opened an investigation into the appearance of unfair pricing. The two carriers charge €1,200 to €1,600 over the course of a two-year contract, with strict data usage limits -- this compares to O2 in the UK, which is charging the equivalent of €800 with an 18-month contract and unlimited data.