[Macworld]

Post your comments for Orange in France loses iPhone exclusivity here

[maddoguk]

This is just the start in Europe.

[dreyfus]

maddoguk said:

This is just the start in Europe.

I am not so sure (while I would certainly like that). Both the UK and Germany are less likely to strengthen consumer rights. Both still have former government providers owing most of the infrastructure, and in quite a few cases the competitors do not really offer full coverage (concentrate on the sweet spots in urban areas). This makes fair comparisons almost impossible. I can e.g. get a HSDPA "flatrate" (actually not a flatrate, it will be bandwidth limited to GPRS speed when exceeding 5GB/mth) from T-Mobile Germany for approx. 35 EUR, or with a speed limit when exceeding 10GB/mth from competitors for 20 EUR/mth. This sounds like a good deal from the competition. Problem is: as soon as I leave a major city, the competition does not have any or bad coverage, and they do not have a fallback to EDGE either (as they have never implemented it), so I go all the way down to GPRS speeds. As UMTS reception in most buildings is mediocre (especially when far from a window), this also effects every day use while in a major city... Without the UK and Germany on board, an EU-wide regulation is far out. But something else is coming into play here: The EU does have pricing limits for text and data services (and roaming throughout Europe) on the agenda. If the price points in discussion do happen - it will change the market quite a bit and severely reduce the need to do long term contracts at all.

[frgough]

I love the little marxist tag line "consumer rights" Your right as a consumer is to choose to purchase or not purchase a product offered by a producer. Period. Any demand past that is nothing but pure greed on the part of the consumer who demands the state use the power of the gun to force his fellow producing citizen to kowtow to the consumer's whims.

[EPonj]

frgough you're just plain wrong. In Europe there are sets of laws to protect consumers rights. You like it or not, it's a fact.

Nothing marxist about that, but again I don't expect you to know who Marx was