France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) chief executive Didier Lombard said he expects Orange to sell nearly 100,000 iPhones by the end of 2007, reports Bloomberg. “The target is a little under 100,000 sold by the end of the year,” Lombard said in a radio interview. He added he saw “no reason” that they couldn’t sell one million iPhones next year.

The phones go on sale in France on Wednesday evening, giving the network 34 days to hit their target. That means it will have to sell on average nearly 3000 phones a day. In the UK, Carphone Warehouse had forecast 10,000 iPhones sold on the very first day, while in Germany, T-Mobile confirming they had hit that same figure in the first day of sales. Lombard said the minimum price of the iPhone with a contract would be 399 euros. A two-year contract would cost at least 49 euros a month and include two hours of talk time and 50 texts. For a one-year contract an extra 4.50 euros would be added per month. Because of French laws, the iPhone will be unlocked and operable with any carrier after the first six months. Orange said they would offer an unlocked version of the iPhone at “significantly lower” than the 999 euro price tag that T-Mobile in Germany has put on it.

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