After O2 and possible Movistar, the next carrier on the rumor list for the GSM Palm Pre in Europe is Dutch carrier Hi. Michael of Mypalmpre.nl tells us as much, writing in to say he's noticed the wonderful device on Hi's website. As Engadget Mobile notes, this isn't as big a surprise as you might think, as both O2 and Hi are either owned or extremely friendly with parent company Telefonica.
With any luck, rumors of a European announcement next week will pan out, making this European Pre rumor season blissfully shorter than the Palm Pre release date madness we had here in the states.
Thanks to everybody that sent this in!
Update: Voice writes in to let us know that this particular site from Hi is actually not a good indicator of whether or not they'll carry the device (they have the iPhone 3G on there, for example). It's more of a listing of how to set up any unlocked GSM phone on the network. Voice also adds that "extremely friendly" is probably a little generous in describing KPN (parent company to Hi) and Telefonica, as merger talks broke down a long time ago.
Thanks Voice!
Comments
Hi Dieter,
Please update the article, as it now has emerged that some of the mentioned details appear to be incorrect.
This particular part of the Hi website contains information on how to setup about ANY phone with the Hi network for MMS, internet access point, etc. The site even features the iPhone 3G, although Hi does not sell the iPhone at all - T-Mobile is the exclusive iPhone provider in the Netherlands.
Furthermore, Hi is not related to Telefónica in any way. Hi is a carrier product by KPN, which is comparable to British Telecom, as it is the company who provides landlines to every househould in the Netherlands. There have been talks about a merger between KPN and Telefónica in the past, but these have broken down a long time ago.
Said KPN spokesman Steve Hufton on Tweakers.net: "We put all devices on the site, also the ones not available with us, so people can retrieve internet settings for those devices as well." He adds: "We have told Palm we're interested in selling the Pre in the Netherlands". Of course, that last statement doesn't tell you much about any negotation status.
Lastly, one might probably hope Hi will not sell the Pre exclusively: while its (or basically, KPN's) network coverage is excellent, Hi's "Endlessly Online" data plan currently delivers a maximum download speed of 384 kbps to new customers and 128 kpbs to current customers! And they nag you horribly by sms and in the mail if you use your connection too much; too much being more than ten times the average customer usage.
Just As I predicted in the forum ;)
it was too good to be true...
I've read this story on various dutch sites and didn't even bother to send it in because it's so obvious that this didn't mean anything. Apple's in the list of supported phones too. but a quick google search could have shown that the iphone isn't sold by Hi.
so shame on the people who sent this in, and shame on Dieter for not doing his research.
But ofcourse it's good thing that all rumors get on the frontpage as quickly as possible, so we'll be able to see for ourselves if the rumor has any meaning or not.
Keep the rumors coming! :)
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