A number of sources have reported that the T-Mobile UK network will be concluding an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone 3G into its mobile service. The said agreement would take away the exclusive rights of its rival network, O2, to the sole distribution rights of the iPhone.
It was mentioned in reports from the websites Register Hardware and guardian.co.uk that British T-Mobile will offer the 2008 version of the iPhone 3G in the next few months.
The Register also reported that the exclusive agreement of O2 and Apple remains intact and that they would also carry the iPhone 3G in their line of mobile phones. The website maintains that the current agreement shows that Apple is undergoing a major shift in marketing the iPhone by relying on network exclusive deals to get hold of a stable subsidy. It also shows how the company perceived O2’s latest priced-up offering.
On the other hand, the press are saying that other mobile networks, such as Orange and Vodafone, are also interested in offering the iPhone if Apple changes its policy. This means that all the major mobile phone carriers in the UK would provide some version of the iPhone, if it pushes through.
The new development for T-Mobile UK can aid the network to improve its standing against the country’s other major mobile phone providers, including Vodafone, O2, and Orange, by providing the best handset selections.
T-Mobile is a German-based company that has subsidiaries around the world, including the US and the UK.