We've long since known that Apple (as opposed to AT&T) was getting the better end of the pair's exclusive partnership here in America, but new research from Strand Consult has found that the situation is fairly similar all around the globe. According to the report, nary a one of the telecom operators it studied had seen a boost in market share, revenue or earnings as a result of introducing the iPhone, and some carriers even issued profit warnings due to the heavily subsidized handset. The study goes on to shed pity on firms like SingTel and TeliaSonera, both of which are purportedly seeing margins and ARPU (average revenues per subscriber) sink due to Apple's darling joining the fray. But really, we can't help but express our doubts about the all encompassing, almost sensationalized nature of this; we've watched AT&T's profits soar ever since it snagged the iPhone, and considering that every iPhone buyer also coughs up a significant monthly fee for a data plan, we can't imagine revenues tanking that severely. Or, you know, maybe we're all just getting a really good deal on our bloated iPhone plans.

For our money, good, juicy carrier drama is better than an Emmy-caliber telenovela -- and there's a doozy brewing in Kiwi country where operator Telecom New Zealand is planning to light up its shiny new 3G network come next Wednesday. Vodafone claims that Telecom's new cells are wreaking havoc with its own network thanks to spurious radiation interfering with Voda's allotted spectrum. It gets better, though: the carrier goes on to claim that Telecom knew this was going to be the problem -- the government had apparently warned them -- and rushed to move up the launch date so that its competitors wouldn't have a chance to complain until it was too late. According to Voda's altruistic filing, the main concern is that emergency responders are dropping calls, and because its network is used so heavily for emergency services, it's a major cause for concern. At any rate, it's not trying to can Telecom's network -- just force 'em to install filters that will put a stop to the rogue signals. Seems fair enough, but in the meantime, the planned May 13 launch is in limbo.

It's not terribly often that a carrier beats a planned launch date for a major product -- let alone an entire new network -- so Telecom New Zealand's XT has already earned a special place in our hearts. Originally settling on a June go-live window, Telecom has now bumped up the date to May 13 midway through a NZ$574 million (about $325.5 million) investment to build out 3G services, which includes face time by Top Gear personality Richard Hammond (pictured) -- though they must be pretty far along in that investment effort, considering the CEO's claim that the entire country will be live on day one. Launch devices will include Samsung's venerable F480, paired up with planned July availability for the 8.1 megapixel W995 from Sony Ericsson. Look out, Vodafone -- these guys look like they mean business.

[Thanks, Ray]

The Indian government controlled Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) is bringing to India something much of the world has been enjoying for years: 3G. That's right, as of this week, select parts of Delhi -- Connaught Place, Sanchar Bhawan, Rajaji Marg, India Gate, Pragati Maidan, Delhi Gate and Minto Road in particular -- can tap into those lightning fast 3G speeds that we've grown so accustomed to elsewhere, and if all goes to plan, 3G will hit Mumbai and Chennai "early next year." Also of note, the extra G is being made available gratis for now, but it's expected that a tariff will be implemented once it gets customers' hooked. And hooked you'll be.

[Via PCWorld]

This just in: don't believe anything you hear regarding an official 3G rollout date in China. After quite a bit of rigmarole, the Chinese government has finally announced that it will issue a trio of 3G licenses. Notably, the announcement comes with a bit of baggage -- it's also calling for a merger between China Unicom and Netcom, two of its four biggest telecommunications providers. Furthermore, it stated that it would call on China Telecom, the nation's largest fixed-line carrier, to "purchase Unicom's CDMA network," all leading to a massive shuffle that should position three of the nation's telecom juggernauts to eventually offer high-speed wireless to a staggering 1.3 billion people. Unfortunately (though not unexpectedly), there's no time frame given for implementation, but some analysts are asserting that "a full launch of 3G services is [still] years away." Baby steps are better than no steps, we reckon.

[Thanks, James]

Well, not the very top -- give the guy a chance, will ya! -- but it's clear that heads are already starting to roll at Sprint Nextel following last week's disastrous report of subscriber churn, with the company's chief financial officer, chief marketing officer, and president of sales and distribution effectively getting the boot as of tomorrow. In respective order, Paul Saleh, Tim Kelly, and Mark Angelino will all be "stepping down" on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) -- the first casualties of a planned 4,000 head count reduction. CFO Saleh is getting replaced in the interim by Senior Vice President and Controller William Arendt, while the other two positions will be temporarily filled by unnamed executives. Sprint lost 639,000 valuable postpaid customers in the fourth quarter, and taking a look at our decidedly unscientific poll may give you some idea why.

Update: Sprint sent us some more info regarding the other interim replacements: "John Garcia, currently senior vice president, Product Development and Management, will serve as acting Chief Marketing Officer. Paget Alves, currently Sprint Nextel's regional president for sales and distribution, will serve as acting president, Sales and Distribution. All will report directly to Hesse."

[Image courtesy of Chip Kidd, The New York Times]

You know what they say: nothing gets you over the last one like the next one. Apparently, Disney is totally signed on to the aforementioned mantra, as just under seven weeks after Disney Mobile hung its US-based ears in shame, the Japanese unit of Walt Disney Company will reportedly be firing up similar operations in its neck of the woods. Apparently, the outfit has "reached a basic agreement" with Softbank Mobile to lease telecom networks and start providing nationwide service to those interested. Furthermore, it will be buddying up with Softbank to "develop handsets and consign its output to other companies," and if all goes to plan, Disney hopes to sign up "more than one million subscribers." Oh, and if that wasn't enough to make you scrounge up that decade-old Mickey Mouse figurine and give it a long overdue hug, users of the service will also have exclusive access to "animated film downloads." Regrettably, there's no word on an actual launch date just yet, but we'll be keeping a (grossly oversized) set of ears to the ground.

[Via Yahoo / Reuters]