In France, Apple must let other carriers sell iPhone

To all those thinking it's a great idea that gov't get involved in mandating business practices, just look at the current mortgage meltdown in the US. That was caused by an implicit guarantee of the riskiest loans. By removing risk private businesses could leverage to the hilt, which caused further problems. Now everyone and their dog is asking for a handout and it's happening, to the tune of $8.5 trillion!

Mandating how a company does business is not in the best interests of the consumer or the companies. What happens if the price, say, doubles in France as a result because Apple can't guarantee certain funds it might have with an exclusive contract? I have a feeling all you socialist bastards will be bitching then too.

This needs to happen in the UK. I doubt it will.

Add Australia to the list of countries that outlaw these anti-competitive practices. In Oz the you can buy an iPhone from any carrier.

Seriously, this is why Europe is amazing. Europe is so amazingly progressive while we're stuck with Jesus freaks who don't want to effin allow gays to marry. Seriously, America needs to step up and embrace the 21st century's economic-political structure. Way to go, France!

The problem here is that while the other carriers may want the iPhone customer's money, they certainly don't want them per se. For instance, SFR (#2) is a subsidary of Vodaphone (Europe's #1) and both have a track record of making phones with custom firmwares which have restricted users ability to use their phones, the V series (V as in Vandalized :) ). On top of that they either give you "unlimited" data access to their mobile internet portal (read expensive services with a crappy interface) or they charge you an arm and a leg for real internet access: 1€ for a MB with access starting a 5€ a month with 10MB included. That's on top of your regular voice plan, the cheapest starting at 30€ for one hour. On the other hand Orange gives you a real unlimited access to the real Internet with the iPhone plan. It's more than 35€ at +49€ but you get +2 hours of voice, +50 SMSs and data. So you'll be the judge, but informed customers wont flock to the competition anyway, it's more a pose than anything else...

Are there any exclusive phones with French carriers? Like an exclusive model of Nokia or Blackberry or anything?

the same laws apply in Germany and even in f***king Belgium. You can buy iPhone there at a whole bunch of stores without any kind of simlock.

To say Apple has a monopoly is to say that there is an industry (not product, but industry!) called Apple iPhone, because certainly there are many other competitors in either the web-surfacing cell phone, or touch-screen cell phone industries.

Personally, I hope apple pulls the iPhone from France and gives them the three-fingered salute.

Greenie, it's called anti-monopoly, something the US really needs but you can bet will never have!

See this is the fun part about the European Union, they don't take kindly to companies acting like bullies.

LOL, Apple-Orange agreement. Epic name.

Anywho, I wish the US had more laws like that. I would love a CDMA iPhone 3G (EVDO?) on Verizon.