SINGAPORE: Apple's hotly-awaited 3G iPhone will be officially launched in Singapore on Friday and SingTel, which is selling the first official sets, is wasting no time in preparing for the party.

While SingTel has the first mover advantage in selling the sets, analysts do not expect consumers to jump ship in a big way from their current mobile service providers.

The telco has already unveiled three new price plans to attract subscribers. Depending on the plans, the price of the phone could range between free and S$848.

But analysts said a free phone will come with the most expensive price plan on offer, at S$205 a month.

Melissa Chau, Market Analyst, IDC, said: "I think if you are looking at price plans, you have to look at the total cost of ownership. You can't just look at the cost of the device itself."

The device may be a hotly-awaited item for techies, but analysts generally do not expect consumers to dump their existing providers just for a phone.

Both rivals M1 and StarHub have said they expect to sell their own iPhones by the end of the year.

Ms Chau added: "In terms of churn, I don't expect the iPhone to revolutionise SingTel's fortunes, or for them to eclipse StarHub and M1. In the end, it will make a small change, if anything."

Those who have registered their interest in the phone with SingTel will be given priority to buy the sets on Friday. - CNA/vm