MuniWireless

We reported in August that hackers have liberated the iPhone from carrier jail, allowing people to use it with any cellular operator’s service, a move that Apple does not condone. You are supposed to use the iPhone together with Cingular’s service in the US: “what Steve Jobs hath joned together, let no man put asunder.” French law, however, does not approve of carrier-phone shotgun marriages. So Orange, the French operator, is required to sell the iPhone in France unlocked, if the customer so desires.
We reported in August that hackers have liberated the iPhone from carrier jail, allowing people to use it with any cellular operator’s service, a move that Apple does not condone. You are supposed to use the iPhone together with Cingular’s service in the US: “what Steve Jobs hath joned together, let no man put asunder.” French law, however, does not approve of carrier-phone shotgun marriages. So Orange, the French operator, is required to sell the iPhone in France unlocked, if the customer so desires.

Orange, a subsidiary of France Telecom, is Apple’s exclusive partner for the iPhone when it launches on November 29. French law prohibits operators from bundling phones exclusively with their service so they can subsidize a phone and offer it at a lower price to a customer, but they must sell it (even at a higher price) to a customer if he or she wants. I believe a number of countries have similar laws.

Meanwhile, Apple announced that it is releasing a Software Developer Kit (SDK) in February 2008 to allow people to create third party applications for the iPhone.

On a separate note, a California court a class action lawsuit against T-Mobile to go forward where the plaintiffs are seeking a court order to stop T-Mobile from locking mobile phones and collecting early termination fees. The outcome of this case could change the balance of power between the carriers, on one hand, and customers on the other hand.