It’s (semi-)official: O2 has iPhone in the UK
According to the well-respected Financial Times, Apple has signed contracts with three European networks to sell iPhone. The three are O2 in the UK, Orange in France, and T-Mobile in Germany.
Although the networks declined to comment, the FT is a quality newspaper that does not report unless they are very sure of their information, so I expect this to be confirmed in due course. The FT reports that the deal will be announced at a trade show towards the end of the month.
The only thing which is unclear is whether each network will be allowed to sell iPhone in more than one market: obviously Orange and T-Mobile are present in the UK market as well. I believe that Apple will stick with its “one network per market” model, and thus allow only O2 to sell in the UK, but it’s not absolutely clear that this will be the case.
What does seem certain is that it’s all over for Vodafone.
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:24 am
[...] in the UK this autumn. Official announcements are expected at the end of the month. More on my UK iPhone blog. [...]
August 22nd, 2007 at 10:34 am
I’m going to try and remain optimistic on the data plan front, because O2 does a decently priced unlimited data package for the Blackberry (which I’m on). Although they hide it well.
August 22nd, 2007 at 11:18 am
Yeah, maybe that’s why O2 got it: they may already have a business model which enables them to offer reasonable data pricing. Of course, they’re going to raise prices by 10% to pay for Apple’s cut, though…
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I wonder if they’ll get their arse in gear with non-iPhone data plans, or if they’ll do the same as they’ve done with the crackberry – eg, “don’t have this specific phone? Tough shit!”
August 22nd, 2007 at 1:43 pm
I suspect they will maintain phone-specific plans, because the fear is that people use their phones as modems, and this risk is offset a bit by making people buy an expensive phone before being given the data tariff. I think T-Mobile have a fair-use policy against using the phone as a modem: email and browsing via the phone only. Enforcement is the issue though…
August 22nd, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Three are up to something interesting on the mobile data front, but I think the press release is embargoed – can’t see it on any newswires or anything, so I’ll need to check whether I can post about it before I do.
Bit of a wasted comment, I know
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Aha, it’s not embargoed:
http://techdigest.tv/2007/08/3_launches_hsdp.html
Basically mobile *and* mobile modem, it seems. Not bad price, although there’s the inevitable bandwidth cap.
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
Thanks for that. Not a bad price as you say, and if you’re mobile the bandwidth caps are OK, I think.