EXCLUSIVE:Telstra has confirmed that they will roll out the world’s fastest 3G Apple Phone on July 11th in a move that will hurt both Vodaphone and Optus who have significantly slower 3G networks. In an exclusive interview with ChannelNews and SmartHouse a senior Telstra board member has said that the iPhone on Telstra will be the fastest iPhone in the world and even faster next year.

David Moffatt, Telstra’s consumer group managing director said “We will have not only have the fastest iPhone 3G Network but one with the widest reach across Australia. For those consumers who buy a new Apple iPhone from Telstra they will have the benefit of even faster speeds next year when we ramp up the Next G network to 42mb next year.” He said.

Initially the Telstra 3G iPhone offering will only be available via Telstra T Life stores and selected Telstra outlets. “Later it will be rolled out across our reseller network” said Moffatt.

He also said “One of the big benefits of the iPhone on the Telstra network is the role out of developer kits which will allow application developers to deliver in co-operation with Telstra new application capabilities running on a very fast network. With the iPhone and the new HTC Diamond which we have exclusive for 3 months speed is critical to get the best from content whether it is email delivery or music and video content. But more importantly when a user is access maps and the GPS capabilities of the phone they are going to want quick information delivery and this is where we will excel over our competitors”. He said.

iPhone 3G will be available from Telstra on July 11 with a range of specially designed Next G iPhone 3G plans that meet the needs of any customer. The Next G iPhone 3G plans start at $30 per month with an upfront cost of $279 for the 8GB model and $399 for the 16GB model. Customers will receive the 8GB iPhone 3G model at no cost with the $80 plan and either the 8GB or the 16GB model at no cost with plans starting at $100 per month. All plans include free Wi-Fi access at Telstra hotspots and require a 24-month contract.

Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. “iPhone 3G is an amazing product and we think Telstra’s over 9 million mobile customers will love it as much as we do.”