AppleInsider Staff
Switzerland's Swisscom
Swisscom said mobile subscribers can purchase an entry-level iPhone 3G service plan for just $25 (CHF 25) a month that will subsidize the cost of the 8GB model to $245 (CHF 249) and the 16GB model to $343 (CHF 349). The plan includes 100MB of data and charges users 68 cents (CHF 0.70) for each hour of talk time.
A $34 (CHF 35) plan offers the 8GB iPhone at $196 (CHF 199) and the 16GB model at $249 (CHF 299). It includes 200MB of data and charges 49 cents (CHF 0.50) for every hour of talk time. Meanwhile, a top-tier plan for $54 (CHF 55) reduces the cost of the 8GB iPhone to $97 (CHF 99) and the 16GB model to $196 (CHF 199) while including 1000MB of data and a charge of 49 cents (CHF 0.50) per minute. Each plan requires a 24-month contract and also includes visual voicemail and free access to more than 1,100 hotspots across Switzerland.
Swisscom also said it will offer a pre-paid option to its customers that will charge 79 cents (CHF 0.80) per hour for talk time and 98 cents (CHF 1) per megabyte of data. Customers who choose this option can purchase a 8GB iPhone for the non-subsidized price of $510 (CHF 519) or a 16GB model for $609 (CHF 619).
iPhone 3G service plans offered by Swisscom in Switzerland.
Finland's Sonera
Over in Finland, Sonera said its customers can adopt iPhone 3G for as little as $50 (31.69 euro) per month under a plan that will offer the 8GB model at $250 (159 euro) or the 16GB model at $385 (245 euro). The plan includes 100 minutes, 100 SMS messages and 100 MB of data.
An $81 (51.49 euro) plan offers the 8GB iPhone at $125 (79 euro) and the 16GB model at $260 (165 euro) while including 250 minutes, 250 SMS messages, and 250 MB of data. For $142 (89.99 euro), customers can choose an 8GB iPhone for $1.58 (1 euro) or 16GB iPhone for $134 (85 euro) and get 1000 minutes, 1000 SMS messages, and 1000MB of data. All three plans require a 24-month contract.
Sonera will also make available an "I Sonera" pay-as-you-go option that prices the 8GB iPhone at $675 (429 euro) and 16GB iPhone at $817 (519 euro). Under this plan, customers will be charged 12 cents (0.079 euro) per minute for talk time or each SMS message, and $2.35 (1.49 euro) per megabyte of data.
iPhone 3G service plans offered by Sonera in Finland.
Readers can compare these plans to those recently announced by Rogers of Canada, TeliaSonera of Sweden, Netcom of Norway, and 3 of Hong Kong.
Christine McKee
William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Wesley Hilliard
22 Comments
Dutch plans have also been announced
EUR 29,95 for 150 minutes/150 SMS, 8GB phone for 79,95 16GB for 159,95
EUR 44,95 for 300 minutes/300 SMS, 8GB phone for 1,- 16GB for 79,95
EUR 64,95 for 500 minutes/500 SMS, 8GB phone for 1,- 16GB for 19,95
All with unlimited 2048/384 HSDPA
see www.tmobile.nl
Just for information purposes, as I already mentioned in earlier thread, the Sonera plans are really, really expensive compared to the general price level of mobile communicating in Finland.
It should also be noted that the plan price is not the only revenue stream for most European carriers - they ding anyone who calls the phone about $.30 a minute (!!!), at least in France and Switzerland. Thus the lower rates.
Ugh.
Ugh.
"Ugh" all you like, but I'd gladly take any of these European plans over what AT&T is going to nail us for in the U.S. I've been waiting 5 years for an iPhone and after seeing what AT&T is charging, I may end up waiting even longer. I have the money to pay the myriad of fees--It's the principle that's going to stop me. AT&T is charging exorbitant rates and for features that should not cost extra, and I have no desire to hand them a single dollar, let alone $1500.
Swisscom's website is hard to understand.
There is a little "*" on the voice rates --- which points down to --- it's a MINUTE rate, not hourly rate.
http://iphone3g.swisscom.ch/?page=1&lang=en