I haven't seen anyone else ask about this (though I could be wrong).

I will still have 10 months left on my current contract when the iPhone is released in July...
I just want to know what this means for me... Am I going to have to payout my contract to get a new one with an iPhone, or do I just count on there being an off contract full priced phone.

I'm currently on an Optus $49 Cap, so that would be $490 to payout my current contract... and I don't want to have to do that.
I've registered (with $50 deposit) on CustomerConnect - Register your interest but it doesn't mention anything about current contracts...

Anyone got any info?

Hmm. If you are changing to Vodafone, you will obviously have to pay out. If you stay with Optus, they should allow you to reset your contract to 24 months as you will be contracted in to a higher price plan ($60-$80 a month +). Or they may choose to add another 24 months on to your contract.
I think it's quite likely they should reset you to 24 months as you are going to a higher price plan.

It's all up to Optus and until the iPhone plans are announced nobody will be able to answer this question. I'm in this boat with Vodafone, but my contract's only 6 months in.

hey griff!

i reckon they'll let you resign for another 24 months without charging you an early disconnection fee. (it should be just 24 months, not 24 + 10) so if you're prepared to do that, you should be fine...

btw, the iphone is the best twitter device around!

Does every carrier do that? Allow you to re contract as long as the plan is more expensive? I'm only 6 months in to my contract and don't want to have to pay a full exit fee to sign with the same carrier again, they'd be getting more money if they let me.

I hope so. AT&T restart the customer on a new contract when an iPhone is activated. I'd hope Optus do the same, its not as if they wouldn't make money on the deal. And Optus will let me bump my plan to a new $49 cap or so, not factoring in a new phone.

I guess I'm out of luck.

At Optus, generally you can only upgrade/recontract when you're within 2-3 months of your contract expiry. If you've overspent your monthly commitment by quite a bit sometimes you can get it sooner.

I'm hoping that they'll do something similar to AT&T/O2 (i.e anyone, regardless of contract status, can contract for 24 months on an iPhone plan) as I'm in the same boat as griff.

Is that everyone? I was under the impression it was only current iPhone customers.

Don't see why they shouldn't, Neo. They'd be daft to charge you money just because you want to pay them more money

Ha, I know, If they won't let me I'll just cancel and go Optus, even if they have worse plans, out of spite, and I'll just tell them that's roughly $1700 that they've just lost.

Oh yeah, you're right. I stand corrected

edit: AT&T's policy here, O2's here (and O2's "don't let your 2G iPhone go to waste" policy here).

Dammit! The one time I didn't want to be right.

But AT&T and O2 have already done their big push to bring new customers in via iPhone. Optus and Vodafone haven't; plus, this is a two-carrier (at minimum) iPhone market. They will be competing for the same pool of people, so it makes total sense that they'll take any and all opportunities to retain the customers they have.

I hope.

Well, from what i remember of my contract with Vodafone (I'm also six months in), they let you resign a new a contract so long as the new contracts minimum monthly payment is higher than your existing one-also, it does NOT reset the contract period; ie, if you've only got 10 months to go, then when you resign, your only bound for 10 months at the new monthly payment.

Note that this only applies to upgrading your contract, i have no idea about a re contract.