Orange to sell iPhone in Europe, Mid East, Africa

AMSTERDAM, May 16 (Reuters) - The list of countries where Apple's (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) iPhone will be sold grew further on Friday with Orange announcing a deal for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Orange, France Telecom's (FTE.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) main brand, will sell the iPhone in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and its African markets later this year, it said.

Orange gave no further information in its one-sentence statement. The deal follows a string of announcements from carriers such as Vodafone (VOD.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Bharti Airtel (BRTI.BO: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Orange's announcement means there will be further countries where the phone is not sold exclusively by one carrier, a break with Apple's approach in the United States, Germany, France and Britain.

Vodafone will also sell the phone in Portugal and Egypt.

This week, Apple's online store listed the iPhone as "unavailable", a possible sign that the company is reducing inventory before the unveiling of an updated version of the device, expected next month. (Reporting by Niclas Mika; Editing by Quentin Bryar)