Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Essar struggle to sell Apple iPhone 3G, launch EMI schemes

According to industry estimates, both the telecom majors have failed to sell less than 1500 iPhones during the week of launch, the main impediment being the high cost price - the 8GB version costs Rs.31,000 and the 16GB one costs Rs.36,100.

"Unlike in the US where the iPhone costs $299 or less, in India it costs 3-4 times more," said Anand Bhargava, analyst (telecom), Technocom Solutions.

"In the US, as the iPhones come bundled with subscription plans, the mobile operators can push down the prices," Bhargava said. "In India too, Airtel and Vodafone are selling the iPhone with plans that discourage the customer from migrating to other plans or operators. However, the prices are too high."

Facing the dilemma, Bharti Airtel said it has launched the equal monthly installment (EMI) option for VISA credit card holders of HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, SBI Bank and Citibank and customers can to pay for the iPhone in 3, , 9 or 12 months. The easy financing scheme attracts a one time processing fee and the interest rate varies between 14-20 percent.

"Our partnership with VISA will provide a new opportunity for consumers who aspire to own the revolutionary iPhone 3G," said Sanjay Gupta, Chief Marketing Officer (Mobile Services), Bharti Airtel. "The EMI options have been designed to make it simple, convenient and affordable to purchase iPhone 3G. We are confident that initiatives such as these will further widen the market of iPhone 3G in India."

Bharti Airtel's move comes close on the heels of its smaller rival Vodafone Essar announcing that it has tied with three private banks for a financing scheme to help customers purchase the iPhone.

The three banks - ICICI Bank, Barclays Bank and Axis Bank - would offer two EMI payment options of 6 and 12 months to Vodafone subscribers.

Since its launch, Apple has sold over 6 million iPhone 3G worldwide. It is presently available across 65 cities in India.