Apple quietly launches iPhone 5 in India with the help of new distributors [updated]

Apple has inked deals with new distributors in India to help it sell its iPhone 5, and it looks like they’re going into effect, as resellers have announced they will begin selling the handset today, The Times of India reports.

Authorized resellers, presumably stocked by Apple’s new partners Ingram Micro and Redington, are advertising launch events around India today, with most of them appearing to kick off sales at 7pm. The iPhone 5 will retail for $846 (Rs 45,500). Previously, Apple had worked directly with carriers to make its iPhone available in the country.

Update: Apple has contacted Indian customers notifying them of the launch and directing them to buy from its carrier partners Bharti Airtel and Aircel. While Airtel has begun selling the iPhone 5, Aircel has a product page for the handset but no apparent way to buy it.

Indian carriers are, at the least, prepared for an influx of iPhone 5 customers, as a number of them told the Times that they would have nano-SIM cards in stock.

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Though Apple’s progress in India has lagged behind other markets, it hasn’t completely ignored the country. For instance, the App Store in India passed a milestone last month when it began displaying prices in Indian rupees instead of US dollars.

Apple said it plans to release the iPhone 5 in 100 countries on over 200 carriers by the end of this year. It pursued an aggressive international rollout in the first couple weeks after launch, but it has, for the last month, been relatively quiet about upcoming expansions.

We’ve reached out to Apple India to confirm today’s launch, but have yet to hear back from them.