Sensis are Telstra's search/mapping/Yellowpages/Whitepages arm.

The job description says "mobile search applications", which suggests they're developing iPhone-friendly interfaces to whereis.com, yellowpages.com.au, and whitepages.com.au.

I don't think this is the iPhone launch just yet, but it's nice to see Sensis will be ready when the time comes, whoever the carrier is.

Omg I can't wait. This has taken forever.

Hopefully Apple will release the 3G version of the iPhone in Australia simultaneously with the rest of the world.

Thank your lucky stars folks outside of Australia, that you haven't had the pleasure of using the Sensis search engine.
It is without a doubt the worst search engine I have ever used.
Try looking up a person/business on the Yellow Pages/White Pages section of the Sensis search engine and you'll quickly find yourself rumaging around for the hefty, environmentally noxious, weighty antique physical paper version of the Yellow Pages so as to achieve a better, easier and quicker result.
Around two years ago I finally severed all ties with Telstra (for a long time in OZ they were our only choice of Telco and an overpriced monopoly at that). Funnily enough they owe me $1.30 in credit from my cancelled account which I am sent monthly reminder letters regarding (20 postage letters at last count) suggesting I make use of my $1.30 credit by resigning with them.
Whenever I call Telstra customer service to request a $1.30 cheque be issued in my name so as to amicably end our business relationship there is always a moment of silent pause while the Telstra employee on the other end of the line cautiously ponders whether I am 'taking the piss' or not.
I'd actually really like an Iphone, I used a friends one quite a bit while in the States recently but you just lost a sale here in Australia Apple if it is a Telstra only exclusive, then again, maybe Telstra could deduct $1.30 from my new connection bill if I bought one, followed by re-charging me $30 search access while I try unsuccessfully to look for a business number with their cutting edge Sensis search engine.
Perhaps a deliberate crappy overcharged, time consuming and undeveloped search engine is how they plan to make their income from the Iphone.....the same concept has been doing wonders for Microsoft for years!!
Apologies for my lengthy rant, just thought you should know that a great many Australians, just like myself would need to see hell freeze over before doing business with Telstra ever again.

State laws in Australia make it impossible for telco to lock a phone to a carrier but they can lock (6 months) a phone number (Sim Card) to a network. These are 9 times out of 10 pre paid phones. Dont forget Australia is in a market like many other countries were there isnt - R - isnt a dominate telco

I tell you what, I can't wait for the delicious iPhone to hit Oz. But I can tell you something else; if it comes cemented to Telstra, then I will definitely NOT buy it - regardless how much I drool over it...and let me tell you...I drool a LOT.

I sincerely hope that Apple chooses Vodafone as its partner in Australia.

Please...NOT Telstra - any other carrier, but Telstra.

Heres hoping it comes out on 3. never had a problem with them, use to be on vodafone, they wern't bad, but 3 would be my ideal choice. Thing is in Oz we really dont have internet data packages and most of our phones are like so much a month on a such and such cap, some phones are free on a 29 dollar cap, would be a dream come true if that happened with iphone haha.

Please, please, please...DON'T tell me that Apple will get into bed with the Devil itself!

Mate, I absolutely love my Macs and will purchase an iPhone (to use maninly as a PDA with the bonus that it makes calls) the moment it goes on sale in Australia, but NOT IF IT'S WITH BLOODY TELSTRA!!!

I am very disappointed that if this Telstra thing turns out to be true, then I will just stick to my HP iPAQ (that synchronises perfectly to my Mac with The Missing Sync) and my Sony Ericsson mobile phone (that is very happily connected to Vodafone).

Please Steve Jobs, find a decent telecommunications company in Australia (there a plenty to choose from) that is not so universally hated by Australians!

how soon? weeks or months?

I was actually talking to my girlfriend the other day about why the sensis search engines are so crap, and figured it out as thus:

So that they can continue to SELL ADVERTISING SPACE in the PRINTED VERSIONS- where they have a monopoly, and are smarting from the internet searches. If the YELLOWPAGES.COM.AU site worked as it should, they'f be no need for anyone to reach for the 'real' copies.

An example for overseas users of how bad it it.

Supposing I was to search for JOHNS FURNITURE COMPANY, I know the suburb its in and the state. No matter WHAT you put in, it'll always come back with the message "They are too many listing for that name..." so it lists EVERY SINGLE PHONE NUMBER that has JOHN, FURNITURE and COMPANY in their names. sometimes that's several pages until you get to the correct one. arghhhhh!

Cause I can skip the iPhone if it comes with the nasty practices of Telstra. There's always the touch with wifi... more storage and no data-plan trickery. Other cell phones are plenty small anyway.

NO WAY!

So does this mean that Telstra's and Bigpond associate will now cease their Music and Movie download services and switch to iTunes?

Will Telstra now re train all their help desk staff to actually mention the words Apple or MAC without choking?

Two comments come to mind: "they wish" and "hell will freeze first"

Uhm crustal ball is meant to be crystal ball. Funny though as my predictions can be pretty crusty

I would get the iphone if it went to 3 or Optus or Vodafone or even VIRGIN. But there is no way i'm going to Telstra. I used to work for them, i know how bad their business practises are. No.

If there's one company that unites the majority of Australians in their hatred it's without doubt Telstra!

I think we can all safely assume that there will be a significant proportion of the population who will just simply refuse to buy the iPhone in Australia if it's married with telstra.

Very disappointing if true.

I'm in Canada and never been to Oz. We have a single choice up here that carries GSM phones, so who knows when it will happen and how much it will be. Shrug. Someone else also owns the trademark to the iPhone here, not Apple, so that is also an issue.

In Oz, how many of the carriers have a nationwide coverage area? I think I read something that Telstra was the only one who covered almost everywhere, while the rest only covered the major metro areas. Dunno if this is so, but if it is, then Telstra would likely be guaranteed to be the only one to handle the iPhone. Depends on what deals any of them can make with Apple.

Good luck on it though.

I was at a recent business forum held by Telstra in Sydney outlining their new technologies and business direction. Although the iPhone wasn't mentioned specifically there were a few points that related to it being rolled out by Telstra.

Telstra has been going through a major restructure to push their new/future services, and the mobile platforms (personal & business) are a huge part of this. Telstra believes they provide the best service industry wide, and you will to pay for that privilege, if you don't like that deal then go somewhere else. (Don't believe me? Go ask Sol.) Telstra’s customer service is pathetic at best, but quite frankly most of Australian customer service is.

There is no space for EDGE as it just doesn't provide, so it's highly unlikely that we will see an iPhone available in this market until it is 3G. With the CDMA network soon to be shutdown in regional areas Telstra is committed (by the government) to extend their Next G network giving Telstra the broadest nation wide coverage of any network.

Sensis and its products are a joke and rapidly loosing market share, it’s no wonder they want to get on the iPhone. All new Nokias are going to come preinstalled with News Limited’s local search engine truelocal.com.au. Incidentally Truelocal also supplies the Australian business listings behind Google maps, which has also been going through an update of it’s Australian content.

Distribution will be interesting, as currently we have no actual Apple stores, only resellers. Apples first Sydney store is still under construction, and although it’s reported that they adding the finishing touches it still is a construction zone (I work near by). I think it’s safe to say we won’t see the iPhone until this store is complete. I doubt that we will see it sold out side Telstra’s retail stores, which need something truly unique to make them stand out in our bloated mobile market. I doubt most resellers will get a slice of the pie, although there maybe exceptions, I wouldn’t be surprised if David Jones starts selling it.

If Telstra gets the deal then my desision is made for me, Sonyericsson X1 on the Three network

Sensis is committed to distributing it's search capabilities far and wide. it's available via WAP for users of all cariers and it even has a Sony PSP version.

The fact that it's making an iphone compliant version is most likely purely about putting out an innovation story - nothing to do with Telstra at all.

Buy the phone, unlock, jailbreak, and activate it with one of the dead easy methods like ZiPhone or iPlus.  Then you can drop in any sim.  I've tested mine with Telstra, Optus, Virgin (Optus), Vodafone, and 3.  The 3 sim didn't work as it was locked to a handset.

I hate Telstra as much as anyone, ben avoiding them for years.But recently my work has taken me out into regional areas.My beloved 3 cell phone soon was cast aside & a new Telstra handset operating on the NextG network was soon purchased.Why? Because its the ONLY service that works reliably across vast areas of the country.When I'm back in the city working in Hospitals often in areas of very difficult reception I foind the NextG phone showing full signal & the 3 phone struggling. Yes in building penetration is much better on 850Mhz compared to 2100Mhz. Battery life is much better because the phone is not struggling to hold a signal.Telstra is out engineering the opposition whether I like it or not.

 http://idannyb.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/iphone-in-australia-apple-and-telstra-don’t-bet-on-it/

Apple and Telstra?  Don’t bet on it!

Will Apple partner with Telstra for iPhone in Australia?  Don’t bet on it! Really! 

Very few media sources have bothered to investigate the rationale for the Sensis’ (the search engine division of Telstra) job advertisement for an iPhone Search Developer.  This lone ad has caused all the buzz about a possible Apple and Telstra partnership to bring iPhone to Australia.  Yet there are reasonable explanations for the ad that may have nothing to do with any Apple/Telstra deal. We might just take Sensis’ word via e-mail reply to Lifehacker – “We intend to develop iPhone applications which can be used across carriers.”

I’d say the smart money remains on an Optus and Apple partnership. Why does Optus “edge out” (pun intended) Telstra?

ð  There’s the Optus & Singtel connection

ð  The next-gen iPhone chipset will be compatible with multiple 3G protocols and not dependent on Edge.

ð  And how about Telstra COO Greg Winn comments to AAP:“There’s an old saying — stick to your knitting — and Apple is not a mobile phone manufacturer, that’s not their knitting. You can pretty much be assured that Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ZTE and others will be coming out with devices that have similar functionality.”

Huh?  Greg … I thought you wanted the iPhone??? 

If in fact Telstra turds a contract with the Apple iPhone, then the last thing they want to see running on it would be google products - hence the 'sinsist' BA job role looking at putting whereis/yellow/white pages on it.

Click the Maps button, and instead of googles inteligent mapping system, your clunked into a advertising intense (and probably crash worthy) display with a 10x10 pixel display of a whereis map.

The first thing people will do is jailbreak the thing, then try as all hell to put a standard OS back on the thing, oh and don't forget the 'pigpond' 'fogtel' junk they'll try and bundle in there too.

Argh, the horror!

Everyone on here bar a few are happy to take the iPhone with Telstra.

If you don't like Telstra then don't get the iPhone it's really that simple !

I really hope it goes through 3. I've never had any problems with them and they've definitely got the consumer store presence.

You all have to remember that telstra may be turds but they have the best 3G network in THE WORLD (Its true, look it up). Next G covers 90% of our country so that means 3G for almost everyone, if another carrier gets the iPhone there will only be 3G in the capital cities, so if another carrier other than telstra gets it then there is only GSM for everyone. Which of course we all know is horryfyingly slow.