Mobile phone operator Orange, owned by Centertel in Poland, signed a distribution agreement with Apple concerning iPhones in Poland, but Orange's competitors in Poland assure that their clients will also be able to purchase these phones in other networks.

Orange will introduce the iPhone in 10 of its European mobile phone networks, but no actual date was provided. "It is a huge success for us to launch a new mobile phone on a highly competitive market," said Centertel CEO Grażyna Piotrowska-Oliwa.

According to estimates of daily Rzeczpospolita, despite that the official launch has not been made on the Polish market, some 18,500 people already use iPhones in Poland, while Grzegorz Bernatek of Audytel puts the figure between 20,000-25,000.

He went on to say that the Polish market will consume up to 160,000 iPhones, which will mark only a small fraction of 10 million mobile phones sold in Poland annually. (Rzeczpospolita, pp. B1, B3; 17-18 May; Parkiet, p. 6; 17-18) M.M.