“Apple Inc. must allow operators other than France Telecom’s Orange SA to sell its popular iPhone mobile handset, the French competition regulator ruled Wednesday,” The Associated Press reports.
“Orange rival Bouygues Telecom SA, the No. 3 mobile operator in France, filed a complaint with the regulator over the arrangement in September. The regulator said Wednesday’s order was a protective measure while it continues an investigation into the merits of Bouygues’ complaint,” AP reports.
“Orange said it would appeal the decision and said it put France in a “radically different” situation than in Germany, the U.S., Britain and Spain,” AP reports. “Orange began selling Apple’s iPhone in November 2007, and as of this month had sold 450,000 3G iPhones and 150,000 first-generation iPhones, the company said.”
Full article here.
Everyone loves France, just not the French…
@ Richie
I guess most people around the world would say the same about the USA!
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Verizon should take note! (Or are we still betting on the Blackberry Strom?)
Don’t confuse France and the French with Paris and Parisians. In general, as someone who visits there every year, but rarely goes to Paris, I find the French exceedingly friendly and welcoming. Of course, I speak French; it doesn’t hurt.
This is good news, as far as I can see. More vendors, more sales.
@cptnkirk
this is true. its like saying newyorkers represent the general population of the US.
@ boisdeteck
I guess you’re being very sarcastic there…
My quote is from some show I watched about how many times different countries have tried to take over France. Everyone loves France, just not the French. Relates back to the wars idea.
An Austrian waiter once told me when we made a comment about the “ugly americans” at the next table “You know, Americans, like people from a lot of countries… some are nice, some are not so nice. But the french… everyone hates the French.
> The regulator said Wednesday’s order was a protective measure while it continues an investigation into the merits of Bouygues’ complaint,
Didn’t the same thing happen in Germany? During the “investigation,” Apple sold unlocked iPhones and charged something like $1000 for it (essentially the cost of the iPhone plus whatever it would have made in recurring revenue from the wireless carrier). Eventually, it was ruled that Apple can have an exclusive arrangement with one wireless carrier in Germany. I think Apple will do the same thing here. Orange sells the iPhone for the current subsidized price. Everyone else can sell the iPhone, but for the much higher unlocked price.
Small minded, zenophobic people. Have you morons ever been outside your country? Clearly not, or you wouldn’t disparage others so thoughtlessly. As to the article, the more countries that legislate unrestricted mobile phone coverage , the better it is for the rest of us who are tied to a single-provider monopoly. It’s for that very reason I am sticking with the iPod touch.
France loves the world. We tried to conquer most of it.
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And we know that America loves France. Partly because we gave you the money and resources to fight the English without which you would still be under the English King! And also because many Americans give lots of money to French culture – such as the American Friends of Versaille or the American Friends of Le Louvre.
But the law on mobile telephones is to force competition. For France, the promotion of markets and competition in the private part of the economy is more important than individual businesses.
@WWW –
Chastising those who “disparage others so thoughtlessly” but calling them “small-minded” and “morons” in the same sentence?
Yes, that’s been my experience with commenters on the World Wide Web as well.
Finally the Evil Empire of Cupertino gets it’s wings clipped. But by the French? That’s got to be a blow to Steve’s pride. No-one gets beaten by the French.
“For France, the promotion of markets and competition”
France is one of the least competitive economies in the world, largely due to the regulations it does impose on businesses.
@Frog Legs:
If you think Apple is “the Evil Empire,” you are seriously in deluded about the nature of the world you live in.
I thought all large corporations where “evil empires.” Isn’t that the mantra of the “common man”
Just wondering if the potential other vendors would support all of the iPhone’s capabilities, or if it would just be a crippled version of the iPhone.
iFrog iPhone. Let them eat cake. Or brown Zune phones.
Gee I found the people of Paris and France very nice this past summer. But then I am a Canadian with a decent level of fluency in French, so YMMV!
@WorldWideWeb:
I believe you have a distorted view of reality.
You do realize that if Apple hadn’t had a bidding war for exclusivity in carrying the iPhone, there wouldn’t be the new features provided by the phone carriers.
In reality, the actual hardware of existing phones was dumbed down by the telephone providers.
It was only at the requirements by Steve Jobs we have the innovation being supported by the telecoms. and even then Steve didn’t get everything he wanted – think VOIP.
If you don’t believe this, just remember what Verizon told Steve Jobs when he first presented it to them.
In fact, you could say that the exclusivity that you trash has opened more innovation to everyone. And BTW, before the iPhone, there was exclusivity on the phones from Samsung, Motorola, et al; but no one cared. Only because the iPhone is so revolutionary is it an issue with you and all those that want it.
“Gee I found the people of Paris and France very nice this past summer. But then I am a Canadian with a decent level of fluency in French, so YMMV!”
They were laughing behind your back. They think you Quebecazoids are goofballs, just like everyone else.
“Small minded, zenophobic people. Have you morons ever been outside your country?”
You bet yer ass we have! There’s Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, …
@Frenchwannabe
Not a Quebecazoid either, and obviously not one. I do not speak their brand of farmer French. And how the heck do you know what they were doing? Were you there? I think I have been on the planet long enough to tell the difference, butt munch.
When apple is on the high road the my way or the highway approach in business works. The problem is when a shade of monopoly raises it’s ugly head and you are screwing with free enterprise and limiting yourself. As a company that is just plain stupid and stocks reflect that. The next generation of leadership should be interesting to watch. We all see what Illinois politics produces and this time it will be on national scale. The future will most definately be interesting!
So what’s wrong with competition? Doesn’t it bring down the price of the phone plans or do you guys support a system where there is price fixing by one phone carrier.