Photo courtesy of www.technologyfeed.net
From WIRE REPORTS
Viet Nam-based wireless carriers Viettel and Vinaphone have announced plans to sell the new iPhone 5 in the country next month, saying they will undercut unofficial sellers who are offering the device for up to $1,200.
A media report said that military-run Viettel was about to ink a deal with Apple Inc. to distribute the phone in Viet Nam. The country is not on Apple’s priority list, so sales will begin later than in other markets, a source from Viettel said.
State-run Vinaphone said it has already finalized a contract to sell the phone in October. No official date was announced.
The iPhone 5, which is thinner and has larger screen than its predecessor, went on sale in stores across Asia, Europe and the U.S. on Friday. Prices in the U.S. start at $199 for a 16GB model with a service contract, and $649 without contract.
Immediately following the Friday release, many phone shops in Viet Nam started selling the phone, saying they bought the device from Singapore and Hong Kong.
Due to the small supply, the unofficial prices ranged up to $1,200 apiece for the 16GB model, or more than 80 percent higher than what U.S. consumers are paying.
While the phone is still considered a luxury product by most people in Viet Nam, where per capita income was around $1,300 last year, its release has been closely followed by the country’s young, tech-savvy population.
One phone shop in downtown Sai Gon said that it moved 15 units per day over the weekend.
The new phone requires network carriers to switch to a smaller SIM card called the nano-SIM. However, a media outlet reported that the regular SIM being used in Viet Nam can be cut and resized easily to fit the new phone.
