The deal has been predicted for weeks – and most observers expect Apple to make another announcement with Orange France in a day or two.

T-Mobile will sell iPhone in Germany for 399 euros, but other details such as length of contract tie-in and monthly tarriffs have yet to be disclosed. Although the operator has subsidiaries in 11 countries, so far the arrangement covers only Germany.

Neither partner would discuss the controversial revenue sharing model that Apple is pursuing. Rene Obermann, CEO of Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile’s parent), merely said: "We are not doing this just for image reasons. We need to get serious about making the Internet mobile, and entering partnerships such as the one with Apple is one way."

Apple has sold one million iPhones in the US, where the device is sold exclusively with AT&T (unless you have tweaked it with unlocking software). It’s shortly to be launched with O2 in the UK.

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