Apple is releasing an unlocked version of the iPhone in France through European mobile carrier Orange amid pressure from French consumer laws which specifically prohibit the dependent sale of a product and a service. It means that Orange will have to sell the iPhone with and without subscription. Apple is not happy with that.

The will allow users to run it on various cellular networks. Orange will offer both a locked version for its French net for about $560. The price of an unlocked version, which is likely to be higher, will be disclosed shortly. Unlocked iPhones can be used on any network. It can also cost consumers more money, too - users of unlocked iPhones will usually connect to a network that doesn’t have a flat rate data plan, forcing users to pay higher rates for EDGE data usage
Orange, which is owned by France Telecom initially won the exclusive rights as the sole provider to offer the iPhone, giving it the same agreement Apple has used with other service carriers. Apple recently signed exclusive deals, similar to the one with U.S.-based AT&T, with Britain’s O2, the wireless division of Spain’s Telefonica, and with Germany’s T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom.

From the outset, Apple’s decision has come under concerted attack by hackers trying to unlock the phone’s SIM card, thereby allowing the phone to run on a network other than AT&T. Apple has made a just-as-concerted counter-attack to undo those hacks.

Written by Mahesh Chawla in Cellular