iPhone in Europe, Where and When

Apple has stated that the iPhone is coming to Europe, but beyond that, there has not been any actual information about the exact country that the device will be available in. It is highly unlikely that Apple will release the device simultaneously across all European countries because there is no carrier that is omnipresent, and thus many are expecting the company to make individual deals for each country.

On this topic, rumors and reports are the only source of information, and these indicate that the iPhone will initially be available in the UK, Germany and France. While the various reports and rumors may vary on the favored carrier, they all list the same countries as being part of the first iPhone wave.
Looking back, these same countries were part of the first wave of the iTunes Stores in Europe, so it is not surprising that the company is following the same pattern.

Of course, the other countries will follow, but this second wave seems quite a ways off, probably as far as 2008. Predicting exactly what countries would be part of the second wave is impossible, but we can get a rough estimate by looking at the past progress of the iTunes Store. After the initial debut in the three countries, four months later, the second wave included Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. And an additional five months later came Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

While the iTunes Store is a different beast than the iPhone, in the case of both there are individual contracts to be made for each country. The iPhone expansion in Europe may end up taking a totally different route, but so far it seems to be following the exact same pattern. While things might look bleak for potential iPhone customers in the countries that are not likely to be prioritized, the war is not yet over, as the legal context in Europe might very well prevent Apple from locking the device into a certain carrier, or at least force the company into offering some way to unlock the devices, should the customer wish it.