Tech and Web NEWS

Vodafone To Sell iPhone In UK, Ireland From 2010

By Amarendra Bhushan for CEOWORLD Magazine Updated:September 29, 2009

Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) said it, too, will sell Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) iPhone in the U.K. beginning early next year. Announcement came a day after France Telecom’s SA (FTE) unit said it will start selling the devices in the U.K. by Christmas, joining Telefonica SA’s O2 mobile unit which has had exclusivity on the iPhone for about two years in that country.

Vodafone said the iPhone deal covers both the 3G and more powerful 3GS handsets and would be available in the UK and Ireland in “early 2010″.

The agreement follows the announcement by Orange that its customers would have access to the handsets later this year, breaking the hold of O2, which had previously had exclusive rights over the iPhone.

Neither Orange nor Vodafone have given details of handset costs or tariffs, but it is hoped that competition between operators will pull down prices.

A spokeswoman for Vodafone said there was no firm date on a pricing announcement yet, although customers can already pre-register their interest.

It is hoped that prices could come down as the three operators vie for customers.

At the moment O2 customers can get the 3G iPhone free if they sign up to a two-year contract at £34 a month.

For the 3GS version a customer would pay up to £274 for the phone along with a monthly tariff or receive the handset free and pay £73 a month for up to two years.

Like this article! ‹ British bank Barclays buying Citi’s Portuguese card business arm, will it to Barclaycard Sergio Marchionne and Peter Voser Won’t Seek UBS Board Re-Election ›
Share this Post: Get It Delivered To Your Inbox