The iPhone 3G has caused plenty of speculation—and quite a bit of bellyaching—here in the U.S. due to the drastic changes to its business model. While the new version will cost much less up front—just $199 with a two-year contract—it will now cost an extra $10 per month, on average, for the accompanying data plan.

Plus, you no longer get 200 free text messages per month, and you have to activate your handset in the store just like any other cell phone. So in one sense, Apple gave in to the reality of our wireless market, dashing early hopes for a restructuring of the cell phone business. Consumers will have to buy the iPhone 3G the way they'd buy any other smartphone.

But Apple's latest phone isn't really about the U.S. It's about the rest of the world. Apple will sell the iPhone in 22 countries beginning this Friday, July 11th. By the end of the year, Apple is shooting for 70 countries in total.

So what will consumers in other countries have to pay for the iPhone? Of course, moving to another locale just to save money on a cell phone is patently ridiculous. After all, you'd probably blow through any potential savings with the cost of the plane ticket alone. Or would you?

Let's find out. Here's a rundown for U.S. readers trying to see how AT&T's iPhone pricing compares with that of other countries.

• First up, let's review. AT&T's combo plans cost $70 per month for 450 "anytime" minutes, $90 per month for 900 minutes, $110 per month for 1350 minutes, and $130 per month for unlimited voice calls. All four plans come with unlimited email and Web data, but no text messages. For those, you'll pay $5 per month for 200 messages, $15 per month for 1500 messages, or $20 per month for unlimited texting.
• That's a wide range of prices, so let's select one plan and use it as an example. On AT&T, an iPhone 3G with 900 minutes per month will cost $2,160 over a period of two years. Add $199 for the 8GB device, or $299 for the 16GB version.
• How does that compare to our neighbors in the United Kingdom? Over there, O2 charges 45 pounds per month for 1200 minutes and 500 text messages, including unlimited data, according to iSmashPhone. That's $2,261.83 in U.S. dollars for a 16GB iPhone 3G over two years—although O2 actually lets you back out after 18 months. Not a bad deal, all things considered, but probably not worth moving for.
• In Canada, things actually get worse with Rogers—and fast. First of all, Canadian customers are stuck in three-year contracts. And Rogers charges $100 per month for just 600 minutes, compared with $90 per month for 900 minutes here in the U.S. And Rogers caps data at just 1GB per month. In total, the Rogers plan costs $3,600 over three years, or $3,556 US (the Canadian and U.S. dollars are roughly equivalent at the time of this writing.) That means you're paying $2,400 for two years, plus the cost of the phone. That's still more expensive than the U.S., and you get less minutes and data to boot. UPDATE: Rogers caved, at least temporarily, and is now offering a $30, 6GB iPhone data plan on top of any regular voice plan until August 31st.
• Unfortunately, that's not even the worst of it. In Sweden, you'll need to pay a whopping $4,356 with TeliaSonera to get 1000 minutes per month for two years with a 16GB iPhone, according to the same article.
• Hong Kong and Macau residents luck out in comparison; Hutchison charges just $1,554 U.S. for a 16GB iPhone 3G over a two year period. That's a cost spread of $2,800 between the least expensive carrier (Hutchison) and the most expensive one (TeliaSonera).
• Psst—hey, buddy! Want a shiny new iPhone 3G for just $94? That's what you would pay in Germany, given today's exchange rates, for the 8GB version, Ars Technica reports. $126 buys you the same device in the Netherlands on T-Mobile.
• If you're looking to save money up front, don't move to Belgium. There, you'll pay the equivalent of $822 for a measly 8GB iPhone 3G. Vodafone wants $414 for the same model in New Zealand. The rest of the initial list of countries fall in the $150 to $300 range, or approximately what we'll pay in the U.S.
• As of yet, no one is offering the iPhone 3G for free with a contract. Sadly, variations on the locked, contract-bound theme are few and far between as well. According to AppleInsider, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster found that given the high cost of a non-subsidized, unlocked, version, only about one in 10 buyers are likely to be pre-paid international subscribers. Plus, they'll likely pay $600 or more for their handsets. In fact, we may see one here soon; AT&T has hinted at a prepaid option sometime "in the future," but it will cost—you guessed it—a staggering $599.

So what conclusions can we draw about the majority or preponderance of plans and terms? What are the most common elements?

Most of the initial batch of countries require a 2-year contract with the iPhone 3G. Canadian customers are stuck in three-year contracts. But a few countries require less. O2 in the UK and Ireland lets you back out after 18 months. The winner is Denmark; there, Telia lets you off the hook after just six months. Otherwise, nearly all of the initial 21 countries offer similar setups: an entry fee for the iPhone 3G, a two-year contract, and a staggered (or tiered) plan structure that varies the number of minutes, messages, and (in some cases) data per month.

In summary, we're getting a fairly good deal here in the U.S. All things considered, the iPhone 3G will be an expensive proposition everywhere, not just in our country. There's no need to buy that plane ticket—or make any moving plans, for that matter.

Source: PC Magazine