A state court in Hamburg issued an injunction barring T-Mobile from offering the iPhone exclusively with a minimum 24-month contract as well as with a SIM lock that prevents users from switching the device to any other operator’s network.
The iPhone has faced similar problems in France, where as per the French law, the exclusive iPhone provider Orange offers a SIM-free version of the iPhone along with a contract version.
The iPhone was officially launched in Germany on November 9 in an exclusive deal with T-Mobile for E399 in combination with a two year contract as well as an E25 activation fee.
Vodafone’s German boss Friedrich Joussen denied the goal was an outright iPhone ban. We want it to be available to buyers without a mandatory calling plan, he said in a statement.
Vodafone’s lawsuit could be a problem for Apple’s go-to-market strategy for the iPhone under which phone companies have to share a percentage of the monthly subscription revenue with Apple in exchange for exclusive iPhone selling rights.
Source: ComputerWire daily updates
