Korea and Japan use strictly W-CDMA for cellular networks. Being a GSM device with no 3G, the iPhone lacks W-CDMA, and is therefore not Pacific Rim friendly. Of course this is all about to change soon, when Apple launches the long awaited, rumor surrounded, now holy grail of a device 3G iPhone. It is assumed to be launched at WWDC of course.

According to one rumor, the possibility of the iPhone making its way to these two countries is very real. It seems as if NTT DoCoMo and Korea Free Telecom will be the lucky carriers to get the new 3G iPhone, and apparently it will be an exclusive. It is not clear if there will be any sort of subsidies or if the revenue sharing agreement will come into play.

There is only one problem for Apple in these countries though. Korea and Japan have much more advanced handsets and networks, so the question remains as to whether or not the device will sell well in these countries. Though there will most likely be plenty of buyers, Apple might want to make the deal a little juicer, I don't know maybe subsidies could be a good thing for them.

[Via Apple 2.0 Fortune Blog]