Anyone know how the exclusivity works?

Would it be legal for smartone-vodafone to offer me an iPhone for free, or at a price of, say, $7000?

I’m not sure if I will go with 3 for the iPhone because some people claim their network coverage is spotty and I live in an odd spot. And it may be too expensive to get out of my current contract with SmarTone. Maybe I’ll wait for the madness to die down and then see how much an unlocked iPhone sells for in Mong Kok.

On the other hand, I was in a place tonight that didn’t have WiFi, I needed to access a web page, and it was taking so long on my 2G iPhone that I eventually gave up.

Agree with your thoughts on HK companies and their insistence to bind you into contracts, but one thing that I’ve found that the Telcos have over the other providers (ok, despite most being owned by the same people) is that the cell companies don’t force you into further contracts after yours runs out.

For example, Now TV (who I like to refer to as “bunch of useless a-holes” refuse to let you go on a month by month contract after your term expires. You either pay for another contract or you disconnect the channel or service. So, you might have 6 channel contracts each ending at different times. Ridiculous and greedy.

On the contrary, I’ve gone through an 18 month and 24 month contract with 3. Both times at the end of the contract they flicked me onto month-by-month payments, and I could terminate at any time with 30 days notice and no penalty fee. That sort of flexibility has kept me with them. They may cost a little more but I’ve found their service to actually be quite good. I’m not a heavy user (I spend around $300 per month, but more if roaming) but the fact that they only require you to go into contracts if you are buying a discounted handset and the fact that you can walk in with your own phone and not require a set term contract to get hooked up is quite something when compared with other HK practices.

The news over the wires this morning (particularly with Ars Technica) is that HK is by far the best place to be re 3G iPhone purchases. Have you seen the shafting that Canada is getting? They have to pay minimum CDN$60 per month, another CDN$7 for “Spectrum licensing fee” (it’s not a tax - it’s the HK restaurant equivalent of a service charge I guess, CDN$15 to activate CALLER ID (unreal, huh?) and their minutes are separated into off peak and peak minutes - with sod all allowance on either side. Check out www.ruinediphone.com

So, all in all I think we get it pretty good, esp if the SIM is exchangeable (for overseas roaming).

Amazing what a little competition can do, especially when there is a body to actually regulate it (OFTA). Imagine how good HK would be if other shady HK dealings (e.g. property) were also regulated?

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/01/att-iphone-3g-pricing-revealed/