Orange has accidentally leaked the fact that it will provide iPhone contracts in France for 49 euros per month, Reuters reports.
The two-year contract will cost a total of 1,176 euros ($US1,754) when it goes on sale next Wednesday. A one-year (minimum) contract will cost an extra 4.5 euros per month. The 49-euro-per-month contract includes two hours of talk time, 50 SMS text messages, 10 hours of wi-fi connection and unlimited email.
The terms appeared briefly on Orange"s website this week, before quickly being removed. Orange will also charge 399 euros for the iPhone purchase.
We have to bear in mind that the recent, sharp US dollar depreciation makes these Euro-denominated prices worse than they appear. Nevertheless, the iPhone and its contracts are not cheap in Europe. We expect there will be similar levels of unlocking in Europe, as has occurred in the US and other markets where the iPhone has not even been released.