Iphone 3g Coming To Thailand! Hopefully

[livinthailandos]

After browsing online, I really hope this is true.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews...K19265420081113

or try this link

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/081113/3/3s0qw.html

both articles same refer to True Move possibly selling the 3G Version here in thailand

Edited November 14, 2008 by livinthailandos

[monty]

Probably with a 1 or 2 year contract and the need of a work permit to get such contract!

And True's GPRS access has very poor coverage and even less Edge coverage! Sou you'd be stuck trying to find wifi access points most of the time...

[nikster]

It's funny that True said they'd sell it "in the coming months" as if it took a really long time to ramp up? I mean... how hard is it?

The good thing is that once True is selling it, AIS and DTAC will be reaching deals with Apple in no time

I don't know about the contract either - if it's sold without contract in HK, then why not here?

[eek]

Guys, you might want to have a quick read of this article: http://absolutelybangkok.com/the-truth-abo...ne-in-thailand/

Not sure if accurate or not, but maybe the 3G isnt really Thai-friendly. :/

[monty]

I don't know about the contract either - if it's sold without contract in HK, then why not here?

Apple only allows dealers to sell with a contract and have the device locked to that operator.

Only in countries where this is illegal (the locking of the device to an operator, not the contract per se) they are available without contract.

Belgium is one of those countries, so I assume Hong Kong would be the same...

[Pushit]

Thailand has 3G??!

[anotheruser]

Apple is already selling iPhones in Thailand without True. Apple gets their money no matter where the phone is sold and no longer has revenue sharing with network carriers. so every 3G sold in MBK that is from HK can not be serviced outside of HK. Essentially Apple collects the money and doesn't have to provide warranty service at all assuming the buyer isn't willing to travel to HK and wait to have it done. Until just recently I was seeing more iPhones in Thailand than anywhere in the world. Now after the 3G went on sale I am seeing them everywhere. Anyway my point is this looks like a situation where it isn't moving forward because the current grey market situation seems to be win-win for Apple.

As for contracts, if they subsidise a phone with a contract they need to be sure the people buying will honro that contract and wouldn't that cut out a huge portion of Thais that buy such phones? They would have to change their business model to fit Thailand for sure. Would you give an expensive phone to a bar girl on the promise she will pay you back for it over the next two years? I sure as hel_l wouldn't... Ermmm i mean I won't be doing that again

[nikster]

As for contracts, if they subsidise a phone with a contract they need to be sure the people buying will honro that contract and wouldn't that cut out a huge portion of Thais that buy such phones? They would have to change their business model to fit Thailand for sure. Would you give an expensive phone to a bar girl on the promise she will pay you back for it over the next two years? I sure as hel_l wouldn't... Ermmm i mean I won't be doing that again

LOL

Maybe the operators would see it as a welcome opportunity to go the lock-down-subsidy route. I just dont think it would work because then the "monthly plans" have to be more expensive. If you consider currently available monthly plans, they are very cheap, cheaper than pre-paid, and pre-paid is super cheap in Thailand too. The reason is that the operators don't subsidize. These are naked calling costs, plus a nice profit. If you add $500 or whatever the average subsidy is in the west, the calling plan must be more expensive.

In the west, operators hide this fact by just not offering cheap, subsidy-free plans. If you don't want a subsidy, your problem, you pay the same. That's because they want to keep the subsidy model going.

So I think the only way they are going to sell the iPhone in Thailand is un-subsidized. They might still lock the SIM though.

[monty]

Thailand has 3G??!

Nope.

So the discussion is a bit pointless at the moment.

Expect to have 3G in selected cities/provinces second half of 2009.

That is if the providers won't cut their 3G commitment budget to zero

[nikster]

Thailand has 3G??!

Nope.

So the discussion is a bit pointless at the moment.

Expect to have 3G in selected cities/provinces second half of 2009.

That is if the providers won't cut their 3G commitment budget to zero

Not pointless - the iPhone 3G works perfectly well on EDGE.

I am not holding my breath for a 3G rollout...

[absolutelyBangkok]

Guys, you might want to have a quick read of this article: http://absolutelybangkok.com/the-truth-abo...ne-in-thailand/

Not sure if accurate or not, but maybe the 3G isnt really Thai-friendly. :/

That article, I can assure you, is very accurate.

[monty]

Not pointless - the iPhone 3G works perfectly well on EDGE.

I am not holding my breath for a 3G rollout...

So does the first generation Iphone!

[fidelio]

Thailand has 3G??!

Nope.

So the discussion is a bit pointless at the moment.

Expect to have 3G in selected cities/provinces second half of 2019.

That is if the providers won't cut their 3G commitment budget to zero