Telstra finally woos the iPhone

Telstra customers won't have to feel left out any more, now that the telco has announced that the iPhone will be winging its way to its stores 11 July.

For the telco, it has been better late than never.

Although it was rumoured to be gearing up for an iPhone launch in May along with fellow telcos Optus and Vodafone, but when the official announcement frenzy actually started, Telstra's hands were empty.

Reports circulated that it had been in on the deal but had botched it by arguing about whether a Telstra iPhone would come preloaded with Sensis content.

However, all seems forgiven, with Telstra finally announcing it has joined the iPhone 11 July stampede.

"iPhone 3G is an amazing product and we think Telstra's over nine million mobile customers will love it as much as we do," Tim Cook, Apple's COO, said in a statement.

The Next G iPhone 3G plans start at AU$30 per month with an upfront cost of AU$279 for the 8GB model and AU$399 for the 16GB model, although the 8GB model is free on AU$80 plans and the 16GB model is free on AU$100 plans. All plans require a 24-month contract.