Original URL: http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/28/orange_prices_up_iphone/
Updated Orange France will sell Apple's iPhone to consumers who don't want to be tied to the carrier, provided they cough up €749 for the handset - €250 less than T-Mobile Germany's unlocked iPhones cost.
Orange said it will offer four iPhone-oriented price plans ranging from €49 to €119 per month. Data usage is capped at 500MB a month, and the carrier admitted that "modem access, VoIP, P2P and [bizarrely] newsgroup usage is strictly forbidden", though that's over Edge connections rather than the handset's built-in Wi-Fi link.
Buy an iPhone off Orange with a plan and it'll cost you €399. If you want an alternative tarrif, the phone will cost €549.
The €649 iPhone is described as the cost "without a plan", which simply means it's being sold without a SIM. Orange said that actually unlocking the thing will cost a further €100.
Update Orange just told us that the €100 fee only applies for the first six months of iPhone ownership - after that the process is free of charge.
We're awaiting clarification from Orange, but assuming the €100 unlocking fee is in addition to the €649, it still makes Orange's unlocked iPhone considerably cheaper than the €999 one T-Mobile is offering its German customers (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/21/t_mobile_unlocks_iphone/). The €749 Orange wants works out at around £536 if Brits fancy popping to Paris to pick one up.
French law prevents carriers from tying handsets exclusively to their networks (http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/17/apple_orange_unlocked_iphones/) - consumers have to be able to move to a different network provider and take their phones with them.
The iPhone goes on sale in France tonight.
Unlocking the iPhone for pleasure and profit... revisited (15 February 2008)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2008/02/15/eb_iphone_hacking_revisited/
The future's bright for Virgin executives (11 January 2008)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/11/jobs_for_the_virgins/
Feel the burn: in the aftermath of year's biggest hype (27 December 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/27/2007_hot_air/
Orange France says 'testicules' to unlocked-iPhone-not-unlocked claim (17 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/17/orange_denies_iphone_lock_claim/
Orange unsure of own upcoming smartphone (12 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/12/orange_spv_e610/
LG launches posh music phone (7 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/07/lg_lb3300/
Europe too cynical for iPhone (6 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/06/iphone_europe_sales/
SAP curbs its enthusiasm with iPhone (5 December 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/05/sap_iphone_crm/
iPhone tops mobile browsing charts (4 December 2007)
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/12/04/iphone_tops_chart/
T-Mobile wins right to end sale of unlocked iPhones (4 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/04/t_mobile_wins_german_legal_fight/
Apple iPhones offered up for hire (3 December 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/12/03/erento_iphone_rentals/
Carphone slated over iPhone porkies claim (29 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/29/iphone_carphone_insurance/
T-Mobile iPhones unlocked post-purchase by iTunes (26 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/26/apple_itunes_unlock_iphones/
Poll confirms Brits believe Jesus Phone salvation too costly (23 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/23/iphone_too_expensive_say_brits/
O2 has Wigan-sized iPhone problem (23 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/23/iphone_activations/
T-Mobile unlocks iPhone, charges €999 (21 November 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/11/21/t_mobile_unlocks_iphone/
Apple: 1.4m iPhones sold, 250,000 unlocked (23 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/23/apple_iphone_unlocked_stats/
Orange's Apple deal to bear unlocked iPhones (17 October 2007)
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2007/10/17/apple_orange_unlocked_iphones/