Sales of unlocked Apple iPhones will continue in Germany per a court order against the Deutsche Telekom arm, T-Mobile. The specifics of the court order demands that the iPhone be sold unlocked and without a two-year contract. These events are a culmination of arguments brought up by mobile phone rival Vodafone Deutschland claiming that T-Mobile’s exclusivity and marketing tactics are a breach of Germany’s laws.
The unlocked iPhone is now available for two and half times its locked counterpart priced at €999 ($1,465) from Deutsche Telekom retail outlets. With a T-Mobile service plan and 24-month contract, the locked iPhone retails for €399 ($585) but T-Mobile is boasting that it is the only provider of an EDGE network across Germany and that the features on the iPhone will only compatible within its own network e.g. T-Mobile Hotspots and visual voicemail. T-Mobile is also reserving the right to seek damages pending an appeal to the higher German courts. For all the customers who purchased devices on or after November 19th, you can call T-Mobile to receive an unlock code.
Washington Post Article
Deutsche T-Mobile Press Release (PDF)
