Undaunted by the recent antenna dramas, Asian mobile operators have eagerly rolled out the welcome mat for Apple’s latest hit product, the iPhone 4.
The device goes on sale in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore this Friday and is expected to dock shortly also in China, India and South Korea.
Apple has sold more than 3 million of its latest smartphone since its launch a month ago in France, Britain, Germany, Japan and the US.
In Singapore, SingTel’s iPhone 4 deals start from S$39 ($28.57) per month for 12GB of data, with the 32GB iPhone 4 costing S$620 vs. $480 for the 16GB model.
On the other end of the scale, both iPhones are free with SingTel’s most expensive $205 monthly plan which includes 30MB of data.
Rival M1 is offering four iPhone deals, ranging from S$36-$198 a month. Unlike SingTel, it will offer unlimited data on high-end plans.
StarHub will also offer unlimited data on its most expensive S$205 monthly plan. Its cheapest plan is S$30 per month.
In Australia, the 32GB device from Telstra will be available for A$99 ($88.59( a month over two years, but comes with a monthly data allowance of just 500MB.
Rival Optus’ most expensive plan is priced at A$79 a month for 2GB of data and no upfront cost for the 32GB iPhone 4.
Hong Kong operators CSL and 3 are planning midnight launch parties on Thursday night where they will unveil their prices, while SmarTone-Vodafone is gearing up for a July 30 debut.
China Unicom has cut iPhone prices reportedly as a way to prepare for the arrival of the iPhone 4. Senior officials have flown to the US this week to discuss iPhone 4 and the iPad, Chinese press has reported.
Indian operator Bharti Airtel is aiming for a launch date of September or October, said theEconomic Times.
In South Korea, KT is hoping to launch the iPhone 4 in a couple of months, a delay from the original launch date of July 30, said theKorea Times.
Research firm Ovumbelieves that sales of the iPhone 4 will not be affected by the recent antenna software problems.
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