T-Mobile's iPhone service plans in question

T-Mobile just announced that you can buy the iPhone for 999 Euro. This quite expensive version is not tied to T-Mobile network or any service plan.

According to this german article, T-Mobile is now selling unlocked iPhones for €999: http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/99335

sim-lock free iphone for 999,-- € from today - just announced from t-mobile

http://www.mactechnews.de/index.php?id=18440
http://mactechnews.de/images/content_images/iphonenetz.pdf

Well, with exclusivity for T-Mobile in that country... if that could branch to US after the AT&T contract runs out with Apple, it'd be nice to see a multi-carrier option for the iPhone. Plus that means I can use my T-Mobile sim card legally, haha.

According to Financial Times Germany (http://www.ftd.de/technik/it_telekommunikation/:T%20Mobile%20Flop/281529.html), Vodafone critizises that T-Mobile, which has a dominant position on the German market, does not follow regulations they are bound to oblig due to that dominant position. In other words: because they are so big, they are not allowed to abuse their power through strict contracts. That is, of course, precisely what they do with the iPhone. Vodafone aims it criticism at the fact that potential iPhone users have to select one of three contracts and cannot chose from the whole range of T-Mobile contracts (or without any contract at all).
We'll see in two weeks, how this ends. And tomorrow, how T-Mobile's immediate reaction looks like.

I've said it 10 times before, in some countries it's just prohibited by law to sell a locked phone! We have the same law here in Belgium; the costumer always has te be able to choise what provider they use.

According to spiegel.de (http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/mobil/0,1518,518515,00.html) it's not only the service plans vodafone is fighting against. they are also fighting the fact the iphone is sold with a simlock, and that you can't buy the phone (from t-com) without a contract.

Actually T-Mobile has already announced that (even though they, of course have issued an immediate appeal) as of tomorrow at noon they will temporarily change their sales practices...! Whatever that's supposed to mean...

We'll know in about 14 hours or so, I guess...