Wireless carrier Orange to be exclusive partner for iPhone in France

French wireless carrier Orange, a France Telecom brand, will be the exclusive partner for the iPhone in France.

Photo: Wireless carrier Orange to be exclusive partner for iPhone in France

Orange will begin offering service for the iPhone when the device goes on sale in France on Nov. 29. Apple said the 8-gigabyte iPhone will cost 399 EUR, or about $565.

France will become the third European country, in addition to Britain and Germany, to sell the iPhone.

Reports over recent weeks in the French press suggested tensions existed between the two companies over what share of subscriber revenue Apple would get. Earlier Tuesday, French business weekly Challenges reported that France Telecom Chief Executive Didier Lombard visited Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs last week in Cupertino, California, to resolve the problems.

A spokeswoman for France Telecom declined to comment on how the revenue would be shared between the two companies, saying details of the contract with Apple are confidential. According to Challenges, Apple will receive 30 percent of subscriber revenue.

The iPhone will be sold in France both with and without a contract according to French consumer law, the France Telecom spokeswoman said. While the iPhone will cost 399 EUR with an Orange contract, the company said the price without a contract had yet to be determined, adding that more details would be released closer to the launch date.