Apple is persisting in efforts to expand iPhone sales before the end of 2009, reports note. Singapore is set to gain a third iPhone carrier in the form of StarHub, which will join competition with M1 and SingTel by the end of the year. Vodafone has announced a deal for Qatar, making it the first iPhone carrier in the Middle Eastern country. A local launch could slip into 2010.
Local company M1 is set to become Singapore's second official iPhone carrier, according to an announcement. A deal is said to have recently been forged with Apple, though no details are yet available on phone prices or subscription rates. A launch should occur sometime before the end of 2009.
The iPhone 3GS launch in Singapore has attracted huge crowds, with the first customer reportedly waiting in line for 11 hours. The exclusive local carrier, SingTel, estimates that approximately 1,500 to 2,000 individuals gathered around the company headquarters on Friday, according to Fortune. Several witnesses suggest the number was closer to 3,000 by the end of the night.
Singaporean carrier SingTel has confirmed its pricing plans for the iPhone 3G, launching August 22nd. Customers looking to purchase the phone will be able to pick between seven different plans, which are broken down into two categories: iFlexi and SingTel. The iFlexi plans range from $56 to $205 a month, and come pre-bundled with data plans offering up to 3GB; the data options are, however, only available until September 5th. The SingTel plans range from $26 to $193 a month, but require people to add data separately, for instance through the BroadBand on Mobile Plus package which gives users 500MB of data a month for $20. Overage charges are $0.0019 per kilobyte, roughly equal to $2 per megabyte.
Confirming earlier reports, Singaporean carrier SingTel has announced that the iPhone 3G will ship to the city-state on August 22nd. The company does not so far have any pricing, whether for phones or subscriptions, but 8 and 16GB models will be available in black or white colors -- as in the United States -- and contact migration tips are now available, as is a reservation service. Apple has posted an official Singapore website with a guided tour.
Singapore may be another one of the countries set to receive the iPhone 3G on August 22, according to a new report. Late in July Apple said that the iPhone 3G would be released in 20 more countries on August 22 and up to this point 17 countries have been confirmed. A SingTel spokesman has reiterated a statement, first made in June, that SingTel will bring the iPhone 3G to Singapore by the end of the year and the report claims that it has been "seriously looking at launching the iPhone at the end of August or early September." If true it would seem logical for SingTel to launch on August 22 along side other releases.
Reports indicate that an Indian iPhone could be just around the corner, allegedly available in September between Rs 27,200 and Rs 28,000. According to the Business Standard, Vodafone is expected to have the 8GB iPhone during the first week of September, with the 16GB version to surface in the middle of 2009. The news reportedly comes from Apple sources in Singapore, who only a few months ago was revealed as "tight lipped" until recently.
The iPhone will launch in Singapore in September, according to unconfirmed reports. Local broadcaster Channel News Asia claims that a deal has been signed with Singapore Telecommunications, also known as SingTel; while Channel News cites industry sources, SingTel has declined to comment, and Apple has not made any announcements. Such a deal could make Singapore the first country in Asia to carry the iPhone, ahead of more prominent targets such as Japan, Thailand or even China. Singapore is a city-state, with approximately 4.6 million inhabitants.
Apple has been cracking down on retailers selling illegally unlocked iPhones – the company's Danish branch last week threatened wireless retailer Telekæden about the same issue – and is currently targeting wireless distributors in Singapore. After sending emails that implied legal action would be taken against shops that did not comply, retailers began pulling the units from shelves. Reuters reports that Apple would charge the stores approximately $700 USD per unit sold illegally.
