In perhaps a sign of things to come, Repubblica.it is reporting that Apple has reached an agreement with Telecom Italia Mobile to sell the much-awaited 3G iPhone completely unlocked in Italy. Not only that, the unlocked iPhone will be sold without the need for a mandatory two-year contract and no revenue sharing agreement between the wireless carrier and Apple will be involved.
The iPhone is expected to be considerably more expensive in Italy compared to other countries to compensate for the absence of revenue sharing, and Telecom Italia Mobile will have exclusive rights to sell the iPhone for the first six months following its release in the country. There's been much speculation about Apple releasing a new 3G capable iPhone and this latest report adds to the expectation of a true, global, 3G iPhone launch on UMTS networks this June.