The Wall Street Journal reports that Deutsche Telekom AG will be losing its exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in Germany ahead of the holiday season. Citing people familiar with the matter, the WSJ report indicates that although nothing has yet been finalized, negotiations are “in an advanced stage” for competing providers Vodafone and O2 to begin selling the iPhone following the end of Deutsche Telekom’s exclusivity, which could end as early as October.
Deutsche Telekom has held exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in Germany since its release in that country in November 2007. Germany is the last major European market in which a single provider continues to have iPhone exclusivity.
O2 lost its exclusivity in the UK just prior to last year’s holiday season and the market opened up in France earlier last year following a legal ruling.
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