VimpelCom confirms iPhone for Russia

Russian telecoms firm VimpelCom today said it has struck an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone 3G, making it the first carrier in the country officially set to offer the device. The telecoms firm follows the practices of earlier carrier announcements and doesn't commit to a particular release date, saying only that it would have the device "later this year."

The news partly confirms earlier rumors regarding expansion into Russia, which would also have the iPhone 3G launched with Megafon as well as the nation's top carrier, MTS. These deals would purportedly have been held up by high sales expectations from Apple, which would have the combined three carriers selling as many as 3.5 million iPhones over the next two years.

Apple chief Steve Jobs had previously said he hoped to land deals with both Russian and Chinese carriers before the end of 2008.

Filed under: iPhone
Other story tags: iPhone 3G, MTS, VimpelCom, Megafon