Macity: Launch of iPhone in Italy ‘Imminent’

     The Italian news site Macity reports that in the latest iPhone update ( v1.1.3 ), a code bundle referred to by the firmware as ‘TIM_Italy.bundle’ is the definitive proof that TIM ( Telecom Italia Mobile ) is the exclusive carrier of the device in Italy and that the launch of iPhone in Italy is now imminent. A bundle is a code package that serves to identify the service carrier in each locale where iPhone has been officially introduced. Macity goes on to say that in order to understand the significance of this, it’s enough to just look at current carriers for which ‘bundles’ exist inside the iPhone firmware: the likes of ATT in the US, O2 in the UK, Orange in France and TMobile in Germany. Macity reports that in the past, there have been proprietary traces ( in form of carrier IDs ) of potential service carriers in Italy like TIM, however, this could not have been interpreted as unequivocal proof given that Vodafone’s carrier ID also existed but has disappeared from the latest firmware. Localization of the iPhone for Italian language ( added on v1.1.1 ) and modification to TIM’s services in order to support iPhone are also cited as reasons Apple may be getting ready to announce iPhone on TIM in the near future.

Of course you may remember that various uninformed analysts and web sites had picked Vodafone as the official carrier of the iPhone in Italy and some had even arbitrarily chosen TIM, however, I had said that TIM is the most likely carrier in Italy and backed it up with numbers showing TIM’s market penetration and resources.

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D.S.