Russia - what should I say about this country? A lot of things pass through my mind, but we're not supposed to talk about history or politics here, so I will only say this - until now, Russia didn't have access to the iPhone through any official retail channel. Now, the long wait is coming to its end, although there are a lot of jailbroken iPhones in Russia already, but since most people would like to have them right from the source, here it comes...
...and since we're talking about Russia, and not Malta or Vatican, no less than three carriers will compete to gain the hearts (and wallets) of those waiting with cash in hand to grab the iPhone 3G before anyone else in the neighborhood. Obviously, it's more than just a trend, because I know that, in Romania, a lot of business users turned their backs on their old devices and got the iPhone 3G. Most of them are still happy with the choice, but there's still time for their iPhone 3G problems to pop up...or maybe they'll be lucky until the end, why not?
According to the Associated Press, Mobile TeleSystems, the top Russian mobile carrier, announced the successful completion of the negociations with Apple, so they will soon bring the iPhone on the market, together with Vimpelcom and MegaFox, who made public similar information earlier this week.
You know what's the funnies part of the story? According to latest reports, up to a half million iPhones could be in Russia already. No need to explain too much about the gray market, right?
At last, it should also be added that, unfortunately for Russian Apple fans, the phone won't be subsidized, so prices will be higher than in most other locations where Apple's smartphone is officially available as we speak.
Oh! I was just about to forget these, so here they are - Mobile TeleSystems didn't say anything about pricing and availability, but most chances are the iPhone 3G will become available by the end of the year. Regarding the prices, I don't want to say anything, for now... especially since those prices will probably depend on the service plan you'll get, too.
