French retail giant FNAC is selling contract-free iPhones, and they ain’t cheap. The 8GB model is €800 ($1120) and the 16GB a rather painful €800 ($1261).
This comes barely two weeks after French telecom regulator ARCEP called the exclusive iPhone/Orange team-up a "serious threat" to competition, a decision which itself followed a complaint by rival cell carrier Bouygues Telecom.
Scouring the FNAC Web site reveals nothing other than price and specifications, so it remains unclear whether this iteration of the iPhone is still tied to Orange (with a pay-as-you-go option) or if it is truly unlocked, like the considerably cheaper Belgian iPhone (€530/$742 and €620/$869).
If it is tied to Orange, then this seems to be a rather pointless purchase. You might save on contract fees, but you can be sure that the Pay and Go charges will more than make up for it.
Product page [FNAC via Infinite Loop]
See Also:
- French Law Means Unlocked iPhones
- Belgian iPhone: 3G, Here By June And Non-Carrier Locked
- Unlocked 3G iPhones For Sale in Spain
- Orange’s French iPhone Exclusive
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