Mobistar to sell unlocked iPhone

In this file photo a journalist from Newsweek magazine, holds the Apple iPhone, one of the two given to journalists in New York before it went on sale, as he is interviewed by television reporters outside the Apple store on New York's 5th Avenue June 29, 2007. Mobistar Belgium's second biggest mobile phone operator, will launch sales of Apple's new 3G iPhone in Belgium on Friday without a mandatory subscription or network lock, it said on Tuesday.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Mobistar (MSTAR.BR), Belgium's second biggest mobile phone operator, will launch sales of Apple's (AAPL.O) new 3G iPhone in Belgium on Friday without a mandatory subscription or network lock, it said on Tuesday.

Mobistar, which is majority owned by France Telecom (FTE.PA), has exclusive rights to sell the iPhone in Belgium.

It will also not tie purchases to a Mobistar subscription, in accordance with Belgian trade law banning joint offers. The law also bars sales at a loss.

Mobistar will sell the 8 gigabyte (GB) iPhone for 525 euros ($823.6), including sales tax, and the 16 GB model for 615 euros.

"The price will be above that in other countries," Chief Executive Benoit Scheen told a news conference on Tuesday.

Apple's next-generation iPhone is set for worldwide roll-out on Friday. Mobistar will sell an initial 250 and then have a few thousand available in subsequent days.

Scheen declined to say what the financial impact of the iPhone would be, adding that Mobistar expected to give more details when it issues half-year results on July 24.

He also declined to say how many devices the company expected to sell, replying simply: "As many as possible".

Mobistar also set out on Tuesday a number of iPhone-related subscription packages from 30 to 60 euros per month for two years.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; Editing by Paul Bolding)