To get a mobile phone and to make a deal with a company like AT&T is a very expensive way of going.
A monthly fee has to be paid and the minutes when using the phone outside the USA are very expensive.
Hence, a well-known solution is to buy an unlocked mobile phone.
This is a mobile phone that is not working only for one telephone company.
One can change the simm-cards in those phones.
Unlocked phones are hard to find in the USA and Europe.
Because they make for most people not much sense.
They can subscribe to a phone service and get a mobile phone for a reasonable price.
Because they do not go to other countries and call from there.
Three years ago an Australian unlocked mobile phone was purchased through an Internet shop.
An old fashioned rather primitive LG mobile phone that worked well but would not synchronize with an Apple computer.
In each country that was visited a local SIMM-card was bought and placed in the LG mobile phone.
Informing quickly everybody nearby what was the phone number and next for very reasonable prices phone communication was possible.
But the LG mobile phone had a serious competitor.
This was of course the iPhone from Apple.
The thing to have for optimal communication and seamless synchronizing with the Apple computer.
Working not only through a phone network but also through the Internet.
Calling with VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).
Able to download and send e-mails.
Visit websites.
Have the address book and agenda from the computer.
And hundreds of other applications.
Besides being super consumer friendly and easy to use and operate.
However, iPhones are so good that Apple controls completely their market.
They make deals with phone companies who get exclusivity to sell iPhones.
Next, the only way to become the proud owner of an iPhone is to subscribe to that particular phone company.
At high monthly prices and high costs to call.
The iPhone is technically manipulated so that it works only with that phone company.
This is a way of marketing very profitable for the selected phone companies and for Apple.
But not so good for the customer.
Therefore, for as long as there are iPhones, hackers have tried to unlock the thing.
To make it possible to use the iPhone in combination with cheaper phone companies.
Apple is doing everything it can to avoid this.
And in this they are successful: it is hardly possible to unlock an iPhone and next have it work properly.
It is exceptional that a company is allowed to control so strictly its market.
And this is what they believed in Belgium.
The Government there decided that the way Apple markets its iPhone is against the interest of the consumer.
They believed that a consumer must be able to buy a mobile phone and next must have the freedom to choose which telephone company to use.
Therefore we see that Belgium is the only country in the world where one can buy in shops unlocked iPhones.
Unlocked by Apple herself and therefore completely and perfectly compatible.
They are not cheap though.
The iPhone G3 with 16 GB costs € 618 ($ 818).
But next, it is possible to change the simm-cards as one likes.
So like now, a super cheap prepaid simm-card from a Dutch phone company has been inserted into the iPhone.
And soon a Polish one.
A Spanish one.
A French one.
And eventually an American one.
Decided by where the iPhone is being used.
Saving hundreds of Euros/Dollars.
Hello?
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