Telstra has announced that it will become the third carrier to offer the iPhone 3G in Australia, alongside Optus and Vodafone. According to the announcement, Telstra will begin offering the iPhone July 11 with a range of specifically appointed Next G iPhone 3G plans. Plans will start at $A30 (~$29) per month with an upfront cost of $A279 (~$269) for the 8GB model and $A399 (~$384) for the 16GB model. Customers will receive the 8GB iPhone 3G model at no cost with the $A80 (~$77) plan and either the 8GB or the 16GB model at no cost with plans starting at $A100 (~$96) per month. All plans include free Wi-Fi access at Telstra hotspots and require a 24-month contract. Telstra has previously threatened legal action over what it considered to be potentially misleading claims made by competing network Optus regarding its iPhone 3G service.
“Australians are very excited about iPhone 3G and we’re delighted to bring this product to them on Telstra’s high-speed Next G network,” said David Moffatt, Telstra’s consumer group managing director. “With iPhone 3G on the country’s largest and fastest 3G network, providing coverage to 99 percent of the population, more Australians will enjoy the iPhone 3G experience in even more places.”
“We’re thrilled to work with Telstra to bring iPhone 3G to Australia’s largest 3G network,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “iPhone 3G is an amazing product and we think Telstra’s over 9 million mobile customers will love it as much as we do.”
