Orange gets Apple's i Phone for Xmas

Apple's decision to let Orange sell the iPhone in the UK will appeal to customers who had been put off buying the iconic device due to 02's poor 3G coverage, it has been claimed.

Analyst Ian Fogg of Forrester Research said that the end of Apple and 02's two-year exclusivity deal in November was particularly good news for the iPhone manufacturer.

"Non-exclusive iPhone deals are now good for Apple. People with poor 02 coverage will no longer be put off," Fogg said. 02 had been criticised in the past for not making any significant investment in ^ its 3G mobile network, which the iPhone I uses to connect to the web.

Orange will be able to supply the iPhone to customers in the UK before the end of this year, though no pricing and tariff details are available yet and the precise launch date hasn't been set.

Vodafone will also be offering the handset, though not until 2010.
02 currently has the exclusive UK rights to the newly launched Palm Pre, a rival smartphone, but said that it would not forget about its iPhone customers. "We have over one million iPhone customers and they remain very important to us," the company said in a statement.

www.orange.co.uk
www.apple.com/uk/iphone
www.forrester.com