Topics: Mobile

Vodafone And Orange Fight For The iPhone

Posted by Stephen Wellman, May 5, 2007 02:02 PM

While we're still waiting for the June launch of the iPhone on this side of the pond, U.K. carriers Orange and Vodafone are fighting it out for exclusive rights to the device when it debuts in Europe later this year.

According to this report, Vodafone has long been the front runner in the fight for the iPhone.

Demand for the iPhone in the U.K. seems every bit as intense as in the U.S.:

Many UK retailers are receiving emails and phone calls on a daily basis asking when the iPhone will be released, where they can buy it and how much it will cost. Apple hasn't even released any TV or media adverts in the UK yet and customers are clearly confused about the situation. The sooner Apple picks a carrier the better.

An announcement is expected by September with a launch throughout Europe during December.

Of course this demand may deflate if the U.S. version of the device doesn't perform as expected. Some wireless industry insiders have also suggested that markets like the U.K. which already have higher rates of smartphone usage may not flock to the iPhone as rapidly as Americans.

What do you think? Will the iPhone be as big a hit in the U.K. as in the U.S.? And will the U.K. version of the iPhone have 3G? Or will it too be stuck with EDGE data access?

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