Rumors rumble about unlocked 3G iPhones headed to Australia

3G iPhones may be landing down under in late June—with no carrier lock-in. MacTalk, the "Australian Macintosh Community," is featuring a post saying that Apple resellers in the country have been informed by Apple Australia that iPhones are headed the land down under. The alleged details are very interesting: the iPhone should be released at the end of June with no carrier lock-in, and Australia's network of Apple resellers will be able to sell them.

While some are skeptical of the report, according to MacTalk member named "decryption," there are several plausible reasons why it could be true. The June timeframe coincides with the planned opening of Australia's first Apple Stores in Sydney and Melbourne this summer. An unlocked 3G iPhone could drive tons of traffic to the new stores.

It also coincides with this summer's WWDC and the expected availability of the iPhone 2.0 firmware. Evidence in the firmware beta points to 3G hardware in an eventual iPhone refresh. All of Australia's various cell networks use 3G networking technology. Only Telstra has an EDGE-compatible network that works with current iPhone models. And, COO Tim Cook has already stated that Apple's "not married to any business model," opening up the possibility of using a non-exclusive model in areas where that works best.

The other unusual detail is that authorized Apple resellers will be able to sell the devices. This makes sense, since Australia does not have a well-established network of retail stores as Apple does in the US. There also aren't an abundance of official "telco stores," like the network of AT&T Wireless stores here or Orange stores in the UK. Couple it with the no carrier tie-in, and it makes sense for Apple to leverage the tight-knit network of resellers already established in that country—"like a little mothers club," says decryption.

If the rumor proves true, it will be the first time the iPhone has been offered without an exclusive carrier lock-in. If the model is successful for Apple, it may not be long before it spreads across the entire globe. With the popularity of unlocked iPhones rising, Apple would be remiss to ignore the pent up demand for an iPhone that works on any network.