Telefonica’s O2 Secures Exclusive Contract to Sell iPhone in the U.K.

MADRID/LONDON, September
18: Apple has granted the Telefonica-owned mobile phone operator O2 the
exclusive contract to sell the iPhone in the U.K., starting from November 9.

It has not yet been
announced on what terms O2 won the contract, according to local press reports.

The iPhones will be sold
in O2, Carphone Warehouse and Apple stores in the U.K. from November 9,
retailing for £269 including VAT. Customers have to sign up for an 18-month
contract on a tariff of £35, £45 or £55 a month, all of which will include
unlimited mobile data usage. Users will also get free use of 7,500 wi-fi
hotspots, providing faster Internet access.

"We are coming to the
U.K. and wanted to pick the best carrier and that is O2," Apple chief
executive Steve Jobs said at a news conference in London.

Launched in the U.S. on
June 29, the iPhone is a mobile phone handset with a touch-sensitive screen,
combined with a built-in iPod media player and wireless media browser. Last
week Apple cut the price of the eight gigabyte version of the iPhone in the
U.S. from $599 (£300) to $399 (£200). Apple also announced that it had sold its
one million iPhones ahead of its target date of the end of September.