Apple reported record sales in the last quarter, with a net profit that exceeded $1 billion, but that's not as interesting as finding out that Belgium may soon receive the iPhone. Well, that's not such a big deal, after all, but if I say "unlocked iPhone," I am sure that makes a difference. A huge one!
After Italy, Belgium is going to receive the iPhone unlocked, but more expensive than iPhones purchased with a plan from Apple's chosen local carrier. Again, this is not official, since Astel.be is only a Belgian regional site, and not the official Apple Belgium one, obviously, so we'll keep this as a rumor for now.
Anyway, it seems this rumor is also backed up by facts, as it happens with Italy. While Italy is the largest consumer of prepaid wireless contracts, in Belgium there's a completely different thing. There, a law prevents carrier exclusivity, and since the result of a similar law lead to the unlocked iPhone available in France... the road has been opened already!
At last, the rumor says that Proximus, Mobistar and BASE, three Belgian carriers, are already working on setting up special data packages for the iPhone, with support for unlimited transfers and "visual messaging."
These being said, I'll close this article with the expected time of arrival of the 3G iPhone in Belgium - June, as it happens with Italy. There is also a very small chance to see "regular" unlocked iPhones arriving a bit earlier, but I wouldn't bet on that...
