France Telecom said it paid people to form fake lines outside its Polish cellphone stores in order to build anticipation for Friday, when the Apple iPhone went on sale in Poland and 20 other countries.

"The aim was to draw people's attention to the product, and to make some buzz around it," said a spokeswoman for Orange, France Telecom's wireless division. "Those online were also providing iPhone details to passersby."

The iPhone has been synonymous with buzz since it went on sale 14 months ago thanks to its touch screen, sleek design and Apple's graceful advertising touches. Fake waiting lines in Poland suggests Apple and its cell phone operator partners will encounter areas where more marketing muscle will be needed.

Apple on Friday increased the addressable market for its iPhone by 78%, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster. Single-day sales figures have yet to surface; those are more likely to come Monday.

The Cupertino, Calif.-computer maker has plans to sell the iPhone in 28 more countries, and there's likely more than that. On Friday, Mobile TeleSystems, Russia's largest carrier, was reportedly in negotiations with Apple, and expects to sell 1 million iPhones in the next two years.

An Apple spokeswoman had no comment for this report.

Source:Dow Jones