Mumbai: 

Freak of the week: Raj Kumar Kanojia (centre) stood in the queue at Infinity Mall, Malad, since 2 pm yesterday so that he could buy the 3G iPhone at midnight. PIC/Shadab Khan

Vodafone users may be happy with the company's tie-up with Apple to launch the iPhone in India, but that can't be said about BPL users. They claim that though BPL has sold its stakes in Essar to Vodafone, the company is taking no initiative to introduce new, customer-friendly schemes.

"BPL customers are sidelined because they can neither use Blackberry nor the new 3G iPhone. BPL is just not interested in bringing newer schemes for their customers," said BPL customer Manish Kothari. 

While customers like Kothari are looking up to the Telecom Regulatory and Development Authority of India for the number parity system to be functional so that they can avail the latest facilities too, others like Rahul Kochar want to desperately change their number. "I want to use the iPhone when it comes to India and for that I don't mind changing my service provider," Kochar said.