Czech Carrier Won’t Offer iPhone 4S Due To Apple’s Terms

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czechiphone

Telefonica Czech Republic has rejected sales of the iPhone 4S and other versions of Apple’s smartphone due to a dispute over reported business terms. Two other carriers will offer the new handset instead, which has sold at a record pace since a mid-October introduction.


Although a report by Hospodarske Noviny contained only sketchy details from a Telefonica spokesman, Apple is rumored to demand the carrier subsidize the iPhone’s selling price by up to 40 percent, a marked increase over other smartphones.

The report isn’t unexpected, given Telefonica and Apple had failed to reach an agreement as late as last week. The Czech Republic was part of a 22-nation iPhone 4S rollout Apple announced October 28. According to the Wall Street Journal report (subscription required) , the Czech unit of Telefonica “will focus on already much higher volume sales of smart phones based on rival operating systems, including Google Inc.’s Android and Nokia Corp.’s Symbian.”

While still available from Vodafone and T-Mobile International in the Czech Republic, the announcement that Telefonica is dropping the iPhone is a departure from the usual courting by carriers.

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