Apple to Partner with O2 for iPhone UK? Orange in France?

needthephone · Jul 4, 2007, 05:54 PM

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2028678.ece

iJoe · Jul 4, 2007, 05:54 PM

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2028678.ece

O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone.

The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, is expected to be announced shortly and marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group.

The phone, which should be on sale in time for Christmas, is expected to prove a key weapon in enabling O2 to win and retain customers in one of Europe’s fiercest mobile markets.

It is understood that negotiations are continuing with mobile phone retailers including Carphone Warehouse over an agreement to sell the iPhone in their stores after a period of exclusivity with O2.

xUKHCx · Jul 4, 2007, 06:01 PM

Brilliant, i am an 02 premium customer after some hefty bills. Will be time i used this to my advantage. Last upgrade i got a free W950 (this was last October) so should be able to get a good free phone and sell it in order to pay for the iPhone.

Leemo · Jul 4, 2007, 06:03 PM

Hmm - I was hoping this would happen, working for o2 I have my lovely £20 staff tariff... (strokes BlackBerry...!).

o2 means no EDGE though - and I hope to god they don't consider it just running on GPRS, that would be awful. Plus o2 need to sort their data tariffs out - I'm sick of offering customers '£10 for 20mb' as a 'good deal' when I know T-Mobile are a few shops down offering unlimited for £7.50!

No doubt though - if this news is true they'll amend the pricing.

-Leemo

FleurDuMal · Jul 4, 2007, 06:03 PM

Oooh...and my contract runs out in October. Which means I'm due for an upgrade...

xUKHCx · Jul 4, 2007, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matthewHUB

this doesn't match the evidence found in files on 'page 1'

???????????????????

This so called evidnce is a couple of .pngs which can easily be changed in a software update.

Again:

Well these files can easily be altered with a software update so just because it is on there at the moment doesn't necessarily mean that these will be the providers. And if this were indeed the case it means that apple knew the European carriers before the iPhone was released in the states, not really the case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FleurDuMal

Oooh...and my contract runs out in October. Which means I'm due for an upgrade...

Snap, although as previously stated doubt we can get the iPhone as an upgrade, although i hope i can wangle it after all over the last year i have spent on average about £80 a month. (This is mainly down to a couple of massive bills)

SheriffParker · Jul 4, 2007, 06:06 PM

Well at least this paints a picture of carriers who are competing for the iPhone, whereas that story a few weeks back said that Apple was the one having trouble finding interested parties. I hope the iPhone will be a worldwide successs. Then the price will go down, and then I can buy one

MacRumors · 06:44 PM

TimesOnline.co.uk reports that O2 has won rights for exclusive UK rights to the iPhone.

Quote:

O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone. The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group. The final contract is expected to be signed imminently.
....
The deal will come as a bitter disappointment to Vodafone, which had been tipped as the front-runner for the deal.

Vodafone is reported to have been "pushing hard" to win the iPhone contract but in the end felt that the commercial terms were not viable.

Timesonline.co.uk suggests that Orange is the front-runner in France.

Finally, FTD.de reports that iPhone will start in only these three countries this Fall: UK, France, and Germany. According to the publication, the European version of iPhone will not support 3G, despite some earlier rumors.

notsofatjames · Jul 4, 2007, 06:41 PM

thats great news, o2 is one of the better providers imo!!

jimboboc82 · Jul 4, 2007, 06:42 PM

Wrong way to go - T-Mobile all the way with their great customer service and web n walk package. Orange, O2, Vodafone are awful when trying to contact.

Eraserhead · Jul 4, 2007, 06:42 PM

No 3G AND no edge would be a killer, the internet on my laptop via my Nokia 6230i was crazily slow and that supports EDGE and was on Orange.

It would be near un-usable with just 2G.

Mac-Addict · Jul 4, 2007, 06:43 PM

Oh yes! I have been waiting for this! o2 is a great network! I have been with Tescos, Virign, Orange and o2 networks, trust me o2 is defiantly the best out of the lot and Orange was the worst!

I WAS the one · Jul 4, 2007, 06:44 PM

so...that means that we will never see a unlocked iPhone even on Europe??

MacRumorUser · Jul 4, 2007, 06:45 PM

Would be interesting to see who get's the contract in Ireland.

We have 4 networks. O2, Vodfone, Meteor & 3

O2 is the most expensive network here, followed closely by Vodafone

3 has by far the best 3G coverage in Ireland and
Meteor is the cheapest.

hollerz · Jul 4, 2007, 06:46 PM

I'm glad we're getting more UK rumors now

I can't wait for the official word/dates from Apple though!

bilbo--baggins · Jul 4, 2007, 06:48 PM

I've never used O2, but our local shopping mall has O2, Orange and Vodafone shops. The Orange and Vodafone shops are always busy, the O2 shop is usually empty and on the few occasions I've been in there the displays have been messy, and the staff unhelpful.

From this, I would consider O2 to be one of the worst choices. Besides - they don't have EDGE, and having to use old fashioned GPRS with the iPhone will be a real blow.

fblack · Jul 4, 2007, 06:51 PM

No 3G? Errr...what do they plan to run it on then?

xUKHCx · Jul 4, 2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bilbo--baggins

From this, I would consider O2 to be one of the worst choices. Besides - they don't have EDGE, and having to use old fashioned GPRS with the iPhone will be a real blow.

Maybe this means a 3G iPhone for Europe

Also i hope 02 will get the new contract rates such as those which were unveiled by at&t. I would say that the tariffs should start from £25

Padraig · Jul 4, 2007, 06:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacRumorUser

Would be interesting to see who get's the contract in Ireland.

We have 4 networks. O2, Vodfone, Meteor & 3

O2 is the most expensive network here, followed closely by Vodafone

3 has by far the best 3G coverage in Ireland and
Meteor is the cheapest.

3 just piggyback off vodafone's 3G.

andrewag · Jul 4, 2007, 06:54 PM

Boy I hate this exclusiveness. Why not just offer the phone on all networks? Visual voice mail can't be the only reason.

raggedjimmi · Jul 4, 2007, 06:55 PM

If o2 doesn't provide an unlimited data option they can go and run. Sorry Apple

XIII · Jul 4, 2007, 06:56 PM

Realistically if its O2 it has to be on 3G. It can't be on GPRS. For this to work, O2 will have to do some serious changing to their data plans - but if Apple has agreed to use O2, I'm sure they have convinced them they can do so.

jimboboc82 · Jul 4, 2007, 06:57 PM

I really can't see an iphone being released here in the UK without 3G, even if it's without the front-facing camera!

(Would still have to buy it though - i've been waiting over a year!)

J Radical · Jul 4, 2007, 06:58 PM

No 3G = Fail.

thequicksilver · Jul 4, 2007, 06:59 PM

I find it difficult to accept that it would be on O2 in the UK but Orange in France. It would make far more sense for the same provider to cover as many countries as possible.

Still, the Times must have a good source to come up with this, so we'll see what happens.

Jul 4, 2007, 05:54 PM	#1
needthephone macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: sydney	Apple to Partner with O2 for iPhone UK? Orange in France? http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2028678.ece

Jul 4, 2007, 05:54 PM	#2
iJoe macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Nottingham	O2 secure rights for UK iPhone http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle2028678.ece O2 has beaten its rivals to win the exclusive UK rights to offer Apple’s iPhone. The tie-up, the mobile phone industry’s most sought-after deal in years, is expected to be announced shortly and marks a major coup for the 18 million-customer group. The phone, which should be on sale in time for Christmas, is expected to prove a key weapon in enabling O2 to win and retain customers in one of Europe’s fiercest mobile markets. It is understood that negotiations are continuing with mobile phone retailers including Carphone Warehouse over an agreement to sell the iPhone in their stores after a period of exclusivity with O2. __________________ The Open Guide to Nottingham

Jul 4, 2007, 06:03 PM	#4
Leemo macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Nottingham, UK	Hmm - I was hoping this would happen, working for o2 I have my lovely £20 staff tariff... (strokes BlackBerry...!). o2 means no EDGE though - and I hope to god they don't consider it just running on GPRS, that would be awful. Plus o2 need to sort their data tariffs out - I'm sick of offering customers '£10 for 20mb' as a 'good deal' when I know T-Mobile are a few shops down offering unlimited for £7.50! No doubt though - if this news is true they'll amend the pricing. -Leemo __________________ Journalist @ ITV Central See examples of my work @ My Personal Site

Jul 4, 2007, 06:03 PM	#5
FleurDuMal macrumors 68000 Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Town	Oooh...and my contract runs out in October. Which means I'm due for an upgrade... __________________ MB / 2Ghz CD / 2GB RAM / 250GB HD Nano / 8GB D70s / 18-200mm VR (currently brokened) Fujifilm F31fd (it's love) My flickr

Jul 4, 2007, 06:41 PM	#9
notsofatjames macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Wales, UK	thats great news, o2 is one of the better providers imo!! __________________ Search before you post: MRoogle

Jul 4, 2007, 06:01 PM	#3
xUKHCx Demi-God (Moderator) Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: The Kop	Brilliant, i am an 02 premium customer after some hefty bills. Will be time i used this to my advantage. Last upgrade i got a free W950 (this was last October) so should be able to get a good free phone and sell it in order to pay for the iPhone.

Jul 4, 2007, 06:06 PM	#7
SheriffParker macrumors 6502a Join Date: May 2006 Location: The Land of Enchantment	Well at least this paints a picture of carriers who are competing for the iPhone, whereas that story a few weeks back said that Apple was the one having trouble finding interested parties. I hope the iPhone will be a worldwide successs. Then the price will go down, and then I can buy one

Jul 4, 2007, 06:42 PM	#10
jimboboc82 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Leeds, England	Wrong way to go - T-Mobile all the way with their great customer service and web n walk package. Orange, O2, Vodafone are awful when trying to contact.

Jul 4, 2007, 06:42 PM	#11
Eraserhead Contributor Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Oxford, UK	No 3G AND no edge would be a killer, the internet on my laptop via my Nokia 6230i was crazily slow and that supports EDGE and was on Orange. It would be near un-usable with just 2G.

Jul 4, 2007, 06:43 PM	#12
Mac-Addict macrumors 65816 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London	Oh yes! I have been waiting for this! o2 is a great network! I have been with Tescos, Virign, Orange and o2 networks, trust me o2 is defiantly the best out of the lot and Orange was the worst! __________________ Aluminum 20" iMac 2.0ghz 2gb, 15" Macbook Pro 2.33ghz 3gb, D90 18-105mm 55-200mm 50mm, Silver iPod Shuffle, Black iPhone 3g 16GB

Jul 4, 2007, 06:44 PM	#13
I WAS the one macrumors regular Join Date: May 2006	so...that means that we will never see a unlocked iPhone even on Europe?? __________________ Enjoy My Mac Based Online Comic: ShutDown OS Land

Jul 4, 2007, 06:45 PM	#14
MacRumorUser macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: tickling a leprechaun's naughty bits	Would be interesting to see who get's the contract in Ireland. We have 4 networks. O2, Vodfone, Meteor & 3 O2 is the most expensive network here, followed closely by Vodafone 3 has by far the best 3G coverage in Ireland and Meteor is the cheapest. __________________ “Hell is a place, a time, a consciousness, in which there is no love.” MacRumor:User mac community contributor

Jul 4, 2007, 06:46 PM	#15
hollerz macrumors 6502 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Durham, UK	I'm glad we're getting more UK rumors now I can't wait for the official word/dates from Apple though!

Jul 4, 2007, 06:48 PM	#16
bilbo--baggins macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK	I've never used O2, but our local shopping mall has O2, Orange and Vodafone shops. The Orange and Vodafone shops are always busy, the O2 shop is usually empty and on the few occasions I've been in there the displays have been messy, and the staff unhelpful. From this, I would consider O2 to be one of the worst choices. Besides - they don't have EDGE, and having to use old fashioned GPRS with the iPhone will be a real blow.

Jul 4, 2007, 06:51 PM	#17
fblack macrumors 6502 Join Date: May 2006 Location: USA	No 3G? Errr...what do they plan to run it on then?

Jul 4, 2007, 06:54 PM	#20
andrewag macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Australia	Boy I hate this exclusiveness. Why not just offer the phone on all networks? Visual voice mail can't be the only reason. __________________ Every iPod detail database My macs: MacBook (Alu) 2008 2.4GHz ; PowerMac G5 2005 2x2GHz ; MacBook (black) 2006 2GHz Moof! - a history of dogcow

Jul 4, 2007, 06:55 PM	#21
raggedjimmi macrumors 604 Join Date: Jan 2005	If o2 doesn't provide an unlimited data option they can go and run. Sorry Apple __________________ www.bossbaddie.com

Jul 4, 2007, 06:56 PM	#22
XIII macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: England	Realistically if its O2 it has to be on 3G. It can't be on GPRS. For this to work, O2 will have to do some serious changing to their data plans - but if Apple has agreed to use O2, I'm sure they have convinced them they can do so. __________________ "I want to win the championship, win the UEFA Champions League and be consistent. It's that simple." -------Arsene Wenger

Jul 4, 2007, 06:57 PM	#23
jimboboc82 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Leeds, England	I really can't see an iphone being released here in the UK without 3G, even if it's without the front-facing camera! (Would still have to buy it though - i've been waiting over a year!)

Jul 4, 2007, 06:58 PM	#24
J Radical macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2006	No 3G = Fail. __________________ LOLZ

Jul 4, 2007, 06:59 PM	#25
thequicksilver macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Newcastle-under-Lyme, England	I find it difficult to accept that it would be on O2 in the UK but Orange in France. It would make far more sense for the same provider to cover as many countries as possible. Still, the Times must have a good source to come up with this, so we'll see what happens. __________________ MacBook Pro 2.5GHz C2D \| 4GB "Poetry is a way for bad authors to get their work published" © Me, 1999. Photos

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