APPLE could launch its iconic 4G iPhone through telecom operators Vodafone and Airtel in India by the end of this month, according to people familiar with the development.

The launch of the iPhone 4 is said to have been delayed largely due to security concerns from telecom regulator Trai.

“These issues have been sorted out with the regulator and the device is ready for launch by the end of this month,” a source said.

For those looking at buying an iPhone 4, the device is likely to be priced at Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 for the 16 GB version and Rs 60,000 to Rs 65,000 for the 32 GB version. Apple is unlikely to extend user access to telecom operators beyond Vodafone and Airtel.

Electronic retailers added that an incompatibility in SIM card slot dimensions on the device vis-à-vis the size of SIM cards sold in India had prompted a redesign of the device, adding to the delay.

“Users who bought the device abroad and tried using them in India ended

up cutting the SIM to fit the card slot. Apple has been alive to this problem and worked towards solving it, resulting in the delay in launching the phone in India,” sources said, adding that Vodafone is readying a SIM card specifically targeted at Indian iPhone 4 users.

However, Indian customers who had purchased

the iPhone 4 in countries like Taiwan and Thailand dismissed the claim as nonsense.

One Indian buyer said that the delay had nothing to do with SIM card slot size. “I have faced no problems fitting my SIM card into the device. The delay probably has to do with reasons beyond the Indian market,” he said.

The Cupertino, California-based Apple Computer, which is the world’s largest technology company by market capitalisation, did not respond to an email questionnaire on the India launch.

iPhone 4 is a GSM cellphone that’s also doubles up as an iPod music device, a video camera and a mobile internet device with

email and GPS maps thrown in, besides an app store lending access to over 200,000 applications for every conceivable situation.

The sybaritic tool has elicited hot consumer appeal since its June launch with reported sales of over 16 million worldwide.

The glut in demand from Asian countries alone has lead to Hon Hai and Foxconn, Apple’s iPhone manufacturers based in China, struggling to meet production targets.

Market research firm iSuppli estimates that a 4G iPhone costs $6.54 to make in China, or just around 1.1 per cent of its retail price, while Apple's profits margins hover above 60 per cent.

Apple is currently retailing the iPhone 3GS, which it had launched last year at Rs 32,500 for the 16 GB and Rs 35,500 for the 32 GB version. It also sells a white coloured iPhone 3GS (32 GB) for Rs 41,500 apiece. The 8 GB version is currently unavailable in most iStores in India, which Apple has been operating as a joint retail venture with Reliance.