T-Mobile to Offer iPhone With and Without Contract

FRANKFURT -(Dow Jones)- T-Mobile Deutschland, a unit of Deutsche Telekom, Wednesday said it will, with immediate effect, offer consumers the option of buying Apple's iPhone handset without a contract, as an alternative to the package in which the handset is sold along with a contract for T-Mobile services.

This is in response to a recent court order, the company said in a statement.

It said it will also give customers the option of having the SIM-lock on the iPhone handset removed.

With the SIM-lock on, the handset can only be used to access T-Mobile's network.

Vodafone Deutschland, a unit of Vodafone, filed for an injunction with a Hamburg court Monday, asking for a review of T-Mobile Deutschland's marketing rights to Apple's iPhone in Germany.

T-Mobile Deutschland Wednesday said it will comply with the court order until the court clarifies the situation.

The iPhone without a contract will retail at EUR999, the company said.

-By Hilde Arends, Dow Jones Newswires; +49 69 29725 506; hilde.arends@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

Posted to the site on 21st November 2007