Repubblica.it reports that Telecom Italia will be launching the iPhone in Italy in the next few weeks for sale by the summer.

The new model is said to be based on 3G (UMTS) technology and will be sold originally through Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The 3G iPhone, however, will not be locked to any provider, but TIM will have the inital advantage with a few month lead time over other carriers.”

According to MacRumors reader grigio, the main points are as follows:

1) Direct introduction of UMTS-capable 3G iPhones on the Italian market, skipping the current 2G version.
2) No revenue sharing, instead an higher selling price.
3) No permanent exclusive distribution by a single operator. Instead, TIM will be given the right to distribute the iPhone with some months of advance with respect to its UMTS competitors.

Apple has been rumored to be launching the 3G iPhone in the coming months, maybe at WWDC 2008. Repubblica is a well respected publication in Italy.