At Least 25 Per Cent of iPhones are Unlocked

About 27 per cent of the iPhones sold in 2007 are being operated on unauthorized wireless networks, according to research released today. That works out at about one million handsets.

The unlocked phones are used largely in regions where the must-have device isn't officially sold, according to a report issued by Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi. He says the appetite for the modified phones has given way to a cottage industry that sells hacks or phones that come out of the box unlocked. Most phones originated in the US where, thanks to current currency exchange rates, prices are comparatively low.

AT&T reported having about two million iPhones on its network as of the end of the year. Over the same period, Apple said it sold 3.75m units. These figures caught the eye of Sacconaghi last week, prompting him to write an initial research note. "Significant interest" in that note led the analyst to dig deeper into the matter. As a result, he pumped out fresh figures today that include information gained from talking to channel partners and other sources.

"We now believe that 315,000 iPhones were sold in Europe (down modestly from our previous estimate), leaving 1.45m iPhone units missing in action – either sitting in channel inventory or being used 'unlocked,'" Sacconaghi wrote this week.