In recent weeks Apple has also signed deals with Rogers Communications Inc. to sell the device in Canada; Milan-based Telecom Italia SpA to sell the iPhone in Italy; and Vodafone Group PLC, the world’s biggest mobile company by sales, to sell it in a total of 10 countries, including Australia, India, Italy and Turkey.

Until the spate of the latest deals, Apple adhered to its policy of exclusivity with one carrier in each country.

The exclusive deals for the iPhone were with AT&T Inc. in the United States, O2 in Britain, T-Mobile in Germany and France Telecom’s Orange wireless arm in France.

Industry observers say some people may be holding off on buying an iPhone until the much-rumored next-generation of the device is launched, and the phone is officially rolled out in more countries.

It takes some technical gymnastics, but it’s still possible to get the phone in some markets where Apple doesn’t have arrangements with wireless carriers.

Many of the phones sold so far have been bought legitimately in one country, modified to work on any cellular network, and resold in countries where Apple doesn’t have agreements to sell the iPhone. The trend expands the iPhone’s reach but deprives Apple of some of the subscriber fees that Apple splits with its carrier partners.

Another knock against the iPhone’s current design is that it works over so-called 2.5G networks instead of the faster 3G, or third-generation, cell phone networks, which are popular outside the U.S. The difference in performance is similar to a dial-up Internet connection versus a high-speed broadband connection.

Apple’s chief executive, Steve Jobs, has said Apple went with the slower cellular technology because the chips for 3G networks were too bulky and power-hungry when the iPhone was being designed, and because the iPhone automatically switches to faster Wi-Fi networks when they’re available.

The next generation of iPhones is expected to work over 3G networks, which makes tasks like downloading videos easier.

Apple is also planning a software update for this summer that makes the iPhone work better with corporate e-mail, a necessary upgrade to help the iPhone compete with Research in Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry and Palm Inc.’s Treo smart phones.

Girding for a fight with Apple in the business-oriented smart-phone space, Research In Motion on Monday unveiled the Bold, its first BlackBerry model to work over 3G, helping its shares climb to an all-time high of US$143.08. The stock closed Monday up US$9.20, or 6.9 percent, at US$141.97.

Apple shares closed up US$4.71, or 2.6 percent, at US$188.16.

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