Vodafone to Offer iPhone in 10 Markets

Vodafone will offer the iPhone in ten international markets - including Italy, which means Telecom Italia will not have an exclusive deal.

International mobile operator Vodafone—which owns part of the U.S.’s Verizon Wireless—has announced that it has reached an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone in ten international markets—including Italy, where Telecom Italia had recently been reported to have made a non-exclusive deal with Apple to sell a 3G iPhone.

In addition to Italy, Vodafone says it will offer iPhones in Australia, the Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, India, Portugal, New Zealand, South Africa, and Turkey. Vodafone hasn’t released any other information, including which version of the iPhone it plans to sell: the existing GSM/EDGE model, or the forthcoming 3G model.

The announcement marks an apparently departure from Apple’s carrier-exclusive deals for the iPhone, where it has entered exclusive partnerships with a single operator in particular markets and collected revenue from each iPhone sold.

In terms of revenue, Vodafone is the world’s largest mobile operator.