Congratulations to One Laptop Per Child in their efforts to secure XO laptop sales for the first production run by Quanta Computer. Over the last few days they have announced three major deals to expand OLPC's impact. First, they now have the support of the Italian Government. Walter Bender says that:

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi reconfirmed his commitment of 50,000 laptops for Ethiopia while at a town meeting of over 600 people where Nicholas [Negroponte] presented OLPC. The importance of the funding is its exemplary nature - it is model for other European countries and the EU itself to follow. The clarity with which both the press and the audience understood children as our mission, versus a market, was refreshing.

Not to be a party-pooper, but it would be just as refreshing to have more clarity on Italy's commitment. We don't want this to be yet another opportunity for Nicholas Negroponte to learn that Presidents loving laptops doesn't equal Ministers buying XO's. After all, if Negroponte can bluff on XO production numbers, what is to stop Romano Prodi from bluffing on buying them?

Luckily, I don't think T-Mobile was bluffing when it announced a unique partnership with One Laptop Per Child:

T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced it is partnering with One Laptop per Child for its Give One Get One initiative. T-Mobile is offering one year of complimentary T-Mobile HotSpot access to people who donate an XO laptop to a child in a developing country through the campaign. (Limited time offer; subject to change. Participating US locations only. Complimentary service valid for one year from date of activation.)

With Wi-Fi Internet access at nearly 8,500 public T-Mobile HotSpot locations throughout the country, and a year of HotSpot $360 on its own, G1G1 XO-1 buyers can log on at Starbucks, Borders, Hyatt Hotels, Amtrak stations and more than 70 major airports across the United States for only $40 more. Now that's a good deal.

The best deal yet is from Hosting.com, which is going one step farther and linking its holiday sales to Give One Get One:

Working in conjunction with the non-profit group One Laptop per Child (OLPC), Hosting.com will donate the funds necessary to deliver one laptop to a child for every server the company sells during November and December. Through this holiday promotion, Hosting.com anticipates donating at a minimum $10,000 or 50 XO laptops.

Now imagine if this offer could be replicated by more than just one hosting firm. What if Google got crazy and donated $200 per server it bought? Or if every geek did their best to buy an XO laptop, either through G1G1 or a direct $200 donation?

Now that would be OLPC XO sales scale!