[quote author=“the-irish-guy”][quote author=“Tommo_UK”]So it sounds like a cash payment, but we’re note sure yet. I hope it is!

No, i would say it seems more like a 600 euro credit onto your debitel telephone account
sounds good anyway.
as you said tommo, it shows the massive amount of money that is to be made from this, if debitel are prepared to do this

Ahh well… I am only interested in how they make the payment because obviously if its in cash it provides a far higher incentive to buyers of unlocked phones to shell out the initial 999 Euros knowing they’ll get 600 back almost immediately. Obviously if its just a credit then in cashflow terms its still a hurdle to overcome for buyers, and makes it less attractive an option.

So that means the 250K+ unlocked US iPhones running 1.1.1 can be now be resold for a $500 premium on ebay because they save German customers Ђ600?

[quote author=“sleepygeek”]So that means the 250K+ unlocked US iPhones running 1.1.1 can be now be resold for a $500 premium on ebay because they save German customers Ђ600?

Now that’s an interesting question: would Debitel offer an iPhone contract including the 600 Euro rebate if you subscribe using a grey-market import rather than a German unlocked iPhone? Logically, they shouldn’t care so long as they get the subscriber… this could get really really interesting! A market for unlocked US phones might develop here (and frankly in all and any country), if non-partner carriers start throwing 600 Euro rebates at people for signing up to iPhone talk plans!

This could get out of control quite quickly - and there are both good and bad ways of looking at it. It creates a market for unlocked iPhones, but it also locks grey-market iPhone buyers into non-partner networks for 18-24 months on contracts from which Apple won’t benefit WRT subscriber revenue sharing.

[quote author=“Tommo_UK”][quote author=“sleepygeek”]So that means the 250K+ unlocked US iPhones running 1.1.1 can be now be resold for a $500 premium on ebay because they save German customers Ђ600?

Now that’s an interesting question: would Debitel offer an iPhone contract including the 600 Euro rebate if you subscribe using a grey-market import rather than a German unlocked iPhone?....

They want proof of purchase before they sign you up. Also for the moment everything is rather undefined. Maybe we get more information by tomorrow.