Czech Republic mobile carrier Telefonica will not be selling Apple’s popular iPhone 4S smartphone, reports Bloomberg, citing Apple’s business terms as the reason behind their decision. The carrier will also end sales of all prior models of the iPhone. The announcement was made by Telefonica spokesperson Hany Farghali.
It’s unclear exactly what Telefonica’s objections to Apple’s business terms might be, although they would presumably have to take issue fairly strongly to give up sales for some of the most popular and fastest-selling devices that have ever been released.
One possible reason might be due to the iPhone reportedly carrying a higher than usual carrier subsidy, making the device more expensive for carriers than other competing devices. Telefonica’s competition in the U.K., Vodafone and T-Mobile, have already begun selling the iPhone 4S, and are expected to continue doing so.
Ultimately, I can’t see this as being a good business decision for Telefonica. Hopefully more details regarding their reasons behind the decision will surface in the near future.
