iLounge

By Charles Starrett

Senior Editor, iLounge
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008
News Category: iPhone

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) and Apple have reached an agreement on the sale of iPhones in Russia, according to a Reuters report. Citing an anonymous market source, the report states that retail sales of the phone will begin in October. “MTS has made an agreement with Apple on the sale of iPhones,” the source said. “Sales are likely to begin in October.” Apple CEO Steve Jobs has previously said that he expected a Russian carrier agreement to “happen later this year,” and MTS has confirmed that it has held talks with Apple about offering the iPhone. It is currently unknown whether the agreement would be exclusive.

Update: Russian newspaper Vedomosti is reporting (Translated link) that two other major Russian carriers, Vimpelcom and MegaFon, have also signed agreements with Apple to offer the iPhone 3G. The report claims that both Vimpelcom and Megafon have each agreed to sell 1.5 million iPhones in the next two years, while MTS is said to be committed to selling one million of the devices over three years.