Apple plans to start selling the long-awaited, faster 3G version of its best-selling iPhone by the August summer holidays in some European countries, a person close to the situation said, as part of an expanded rollout of the device to 10 countries around the world that was announced Tuesday.

Apple, which since October has been selling a version of the iPhone that works on Europe’s ubiquitous but slower GSM networks in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany and Austria, plans to sell the 3G version in Italy through Vodafone and Telecom Italia, according to the person.

By selling the handset in Italy through two mobile operators, Vodafone and Telecom Italia TIM, Apple is modifying its strategy of selling the device exclusively through a loner operator in each country, in exchange for a share of the goods revenue that iPhone users pay to their mobile operators.

Vodafone, based in Newbury, England, is the world’s largest mobile operator, with 252 million

customers. It said Tuesday that it would start selling the iPhone in the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy and Portugal in Europe, as well as in India, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Turkey, later that year.

In a separate statement Tuesday, Telecom Italia, whose TIM Telecom Italia Mobile wireless network is the Italian market leader, said it would plus sell the iPhone in Italy later that year. Apple announced last week that the iPhone, the fastest-selling handset in the United States, would go on sale that year in Canada.

According to the person, who declined to be identified considering of a confidentiality agreement, Apple wants to start selling the 3G version of the iPhone in Europe before August, the moment when most Europeans go on vacation and would presumably have a greater need for the device’s advanced Net browser operate.

An Apple spokesman in London, Alan Hely,…

Orginal post by Top Tech News