iPhone 4 Launches in India on Friday

As noted by The Wall Street Journal, the iPhone 4 is finally launching in India, with the device making its debut on carriers Bhati Airtel and Aircel this Friday.

In a news release, Aircel said it will offer the new model of iPhone--which is popular for its high-speed Internet and mobile software capabilities--under both post-paid and pre-paid subscription plans.

It will charge 34,500 rupees ($763) for iPhones with a 16 gigabyte capacity and 40,900 rupees for those with capacity of 32 gigabytes. Users will be able to recover the cost in monthly credits in their subscription accounts over 24 months, it said in a statement. The prices may vary in some states due to local taxes on mobile phones, it added.

A Bharti Airtel spokeswoman said the company would also offer the iPhone 4 under similar schemes and price ranges.

The two carriers have approximately 220 million customers between them, more than a quarter of India's total mobile phone subscriber base and obviously a significant new opportunity for Apple.

Both Bhati Airtel and Aircel operate GSM networks, meaning that Apple is not yet deploying the CDMA iPhone 4 in India. Last fall, reports surfaced claiming that Apple was in talks to bring the iPhone to CDMA carriers Reliance and Tata in India, but apparently no agreement has yet been reached.