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obile network operators are ringing in the weekend with sales of Apple'€™s latest smartphones, the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, which boast price tags reaching up to Rp 13.6 million (about US$1,115).

The availability of the iPhone 5S, and the more '€œaffordable'€ iPhone 5C, in the local market comes three months after the smartphones first went on sale in the US. The smartphones also became available in China on Jan. 17.

PT XL Axiata (EXCL) deputy marketing director Kencono Wibowo said that Apple fans were anticipating the release of the latest versions of the iPhone 5.

'€œThat is why we were interested in offering the smartphone line once more,'€ he said.

XL Axiata spokesperson, Turina Farouk, added that stocks of the smartphones were ready.

'€œWe have placed no limitations for our initial sales,'€ she pointed out.

XL Axiata has designed bundling programs for the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. Postpaid purchases of the iPhone 5S are priced between Rp 10,499,000 and Rp 13,599,000, depending on the memory capacity of the smartphone.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 5C carries a price tag of between Rp 8.7 million and Rp 9.99 million.

The postpaid price range offered by XL Axiata corresponds with the prices set by other mobile network operators, including PT Indosat (ISAT).

However, mobile network operators have come up with their own post-paid packages in which they bundle data as well as voice and text offers with the smartphones.

The operators have also enabled online purchases of the smartphones, in addition to opening sales at their branches or partner retailer stores in high-end malls.

PT Erajaya Swasembada (ERAA) spokesperson Djatmiko Wardoyo said that the iPhone market in Indonesia was sustained by the '€œmilitant fans'€ of Apple.

Erajaya Swasembada is a distributor and retailer of cell phones, including Samsung and HTC.

They have collaborated with PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel) to bundle the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C.

'€œThe appeal of the Apple brand is strong. Thus, a market exists for iPhones although the prices of the devices are on the high-end,'€ he said.

Data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) said that Android had dominated 77 percent of the 9 million units of estimated smartphone shipments in 2013.

The IDC added that Android had attained market control because many devices that adopt the platform carry prices below Rp 1 million.