NZ Telecom in 'deep' with Apple

iPhone rumored for XT Mobile

Kiwis who lust after a new iPhone may soon have a choice of service provider other than Vodafone.

According to a report by New Zealand's National Business Review, Telecom New Zealand's retail chief Alan Gourdie said that the company is in "discussions - deep discussions - with Apple."

Gourdie's brief disclosure came Wednesday morning, as Telecom revealed its lineup of 3G phones to be offered along with the company's soon-to-go-live XT Mobile Network.

Vodafone's iPhone 3G offerings are now available in a broad array of New Zealand locations, so New Zealanders aren't deprived of such iPhone wonderments as the digitally flatulent iFart, Chicago-corruption simulator Pay2Play, and boob'n'booty-bouncing Wobble, as long as they're in solid with Vodafone.

However, the rumored advent of a next-gen iPhone may be working in Telecom's favor. In the States, for example, AT&T's exclusive deal for the iPhone 3G is rumored to be slipping away in Verizon's favor for future 'Phones.

Perhaps similar "deep discussions" are underway between Cupertino and Christchurch. ®