Apple’s eagerly-awaited iPhone might be coming to Europe equipped with 3G as early as January 2008. The iPhone is a glorious-looking mobile phone, but the lack of 3G seriously hampers its use.

What’s the point of having a glorious interface and easy-to-use web-browser if your data’s crawling along at EDGE speeds (200kbps if you’re lucky, with uploads not much more than dial-up speeds)?

According to AppleInsider, though, it seems Apple will be addressing these concerns with the release of the iPhone 2.0 which will feature 3G – and maybe even the super-fast HSDPA.

AppleInsider quote a source from a Swedish mobile phone firm, which apparently has received assurances from Apple that a 3G version of the iPhone will be released (yes, released, not just announced) in January 2008. Better still, it might not just be 3G, but the blisteringly fast 3.5G offered by HSDPA.

If it’s true, this move does make a lot of sense. Although 3G hasn’t yet taken off in the US, for high-end phones in Europe and elsewhere, 3G is a must. Wi-Fi is a good alternative when you’re in a hotspot, but they’re few and far between, and expensive when you do find one.

In contrast, some European operators such as 3 and T-Mobile are offering flat-rate data transfer packages, making the high speeds of HSDPA (1.7Mpbs and up) both desirable and affordable. Given that the iPhone will be a high-end (and thus expensive) mobile phone, it won’t be able to compete in Europe with the big guns from Nokia, Samsung and co. if it doens’t offer similar data transfer speeds to their high-end phones.

So if you’re thinking of getting an iPhone when it finally ships later in the year (and who isn’t?!) then you might just want to wait a month or so extra for the new improved version. Unfortunately, it’s just the wrong side of Christmas, but with a present as good as a HSDPA-equipped iPhone, I’m sure Santa can wait!

[Source: AppleInsider via EngadgetMobile]