Italian consumers lodge iPhone carrier complaint

ROME (Reuters) - An Italian consumer-rights group has lodged a complaint with anti-trust authorities against the restriction of sales of Apple's new iPhone in Italy to Vodafone Group Plc and Telecom Italia.

Sources at Italy's anti-trust agency said they were collecting information about iPhone distribution but had not yet begun an investigation into possible anti-competitive behavior following the complaint from the Movimento Difesa del Cittadino.

Officials at Apple could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.

Apple has mostly struck exclusive deals with carriers to sell the new, third-generation iPhone, which was available from midnight Thursday in New Zealand and will go on sale in Europe on Friday.

(Reporting by Alberto Sisto; editing by Rory Channing)