iPhone Service from Orange in the UK
UK mobile operator Orange, which is owned by France Telecom, has struck a deal with Apple to sell the ever popular iPhone in Britain. This deal was announced on Monday and has set back O2, the largest mobile operator in the UK, who has been the exclusive network for the device in the country.
Head of Orange UK Tom Alexander made the deal a top priority after taking his position just last year. After years of the company under-performing, he says that the iPhone agreement will boost profitability.
Orange claims to offer the biggest UK 3G network and is planning to sell the iPhone in its stores, on telesales channels, on its website, and through select partners. The company hasn’t announced pricing for the device yet, and they may even sell it cheaper than O2 did. It has been said also that the iPhone will be sold by November in the run up to Christmas this year. There are about 65,000 people that have signed up to purchase one already.
This has sparked a price war, as it is possible that Vodafone and 3 will sign agreements to sell the device in only days. The companies will likely compete to cut prices if this happens. Alexander even noted that consumers will definitely benefit from their competitive prices.
There have already been over 1.7 million iPhones sold since the device was launched 2 years ago. There’s no doubt that the iPhone will sell like hot cakes if it is reduced in price, especially when it makes such a great Christmas gift for people of all ages.