DTAC, officially, launches, iPhone

Today saw DTAC offically launched the Apple iPhone for its network in Thailand (as blogged last month) rivalling True, the operator that previously enjoyed iPhone exclusivity.

Sadly I wasn’t there (invite in the post?) and there no press release on the DTAC website, as yet, so details come via Twitter.

Two interesting nuggets of information stand out.

1. DTAC claims, in its press release (which I’m yet to see) that it already has around 87,000 iPhone users from a grey market (those using unlocked iPhones) of 200,000.

The fact that True, the (initial) exclusive iPhone carrier, sold 100,000 units (as blogged here) suggests these figures are wildly inaccurate. No press release means no source for the stats other than @smartbrain’s tip-off.

2. DTAC appears to have arranged a financial package which allows customers to pay for an iPhone on a monthly basis.

This is a Southeast Asian trend first pointed out to me by BlackBerry’s MD in the region, from the CNNGo article.

Affording a smartphone could become a little easier if a trend from neighboring Indonesia catches on here. Banks and loan companies are offering specialized finance to help tech-mad Indonesians get their hands on the latest smartphones. As it stands, in Thailand, buying a smartphone takes some saving, or a good wage.

It will be interesting to see the effect such financial packages may have on DTAC’s iPhone sales. It should encourage those who do not feel comfortable investing more than 25,000 THB on a phone in one go (I can’t be the only one) to think again.

Competition is good for the market and, with more carriers tipped to come on board, it bodes well for those aspiring to own an iPhone, or other high-end device, in Thailand.

Image via DTAC.co.th