The fact that the iPhone heads to Ireland and Austria is not a new thing, but the fact it’s going there now, is. In Austria T-Mobile will take over while in Ireland the big O2 (they have Germany, too) will do the honors. The prices are €399 for the 8GB model and €499 for the 16GB iPhone and no country will offer an unlimited plan.

One funny that the Irish will not like is that they don’t get the free WiFi like their “buddies” from the UK.

via MacRumors

British carrier O2 could face a $79.6 fine and the reasons may sound weird for some of us. Country’s Office of Communications (Ofcom) announced that O2 they had a very slow growth and failed to build their 3G network on time, by the end of 2007.

O2 is one of the five carriers to have a 3G license and by June 30th they should supply up to 80 percent of the British population. Right now they only serve 75.7 percent and though they are well behind rivals such as Vodafone UK/

The company focused on corporate accounts rather than population and mentioned that there should be no difficulty in reaching the goal. Another reason why they didn’t stress about the deadline was that O2 has the most 3G subscribers even if they have a smaller than average coverage.

If they fail to build their network once again, the $79.6 million fine will be applied.

Today iPhone has landed in Europe, more exactly in UK and in Germany. Although many fans have come for the big launch, Europeans were not so enthusiast as Americans. Some shoppers formed cues in front of the retail stores. By 5 p.m., Deutsche Telekom AG, which owns T-Mobile, announced they sold more than 10,000 iPhones in Germany. The British carrier O2, doesn’t want to disclose the exact number of the sales for this Friday.

Even the iPhone has been expected for six months, there were complains about its price. For instance in Germany the 8GB version retails for $587, on top of a contract through T-Mobile starting at $72 a month and a $37 “installation” fee. In UK, the same model costs $566, while in US it retails for $399.

In France, the gadget-phone will be released on November 29. Orange will be the retailer for the iPhone. There are no news about launching in the other countries across Europe.

Apple Store UK