O2 to lose iPhone exclusive on 9 October

Apple agreement's end date revealed

5 August 2009 14:55 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

That O2 is to lose its exclusivity on Apple's iPhone is beginning to look like a cert with a date now emerging from industry sources as to when the agreement officially ends.

Web news source Mobile Entertainment has seen documentation that states the exclusive agreement between Apple and the Telefonica-owned operator is due to end on 9 October.

The deal between the two companies is said to give O2 the rights to offer the iPhone until 2012, although being the only operator in the UK that can sell Apple's iPhone is only a 2-year deal.

Some sources suggest that although O2 will soon have to share sales of the device with Orange and T-Mobile - who have agreements with Apple for the iPhone in France and Germany, respectively, as well as other territories - O2 will retain the exclusive on the recently launched iPhone 3GS, the latest model in the range.

Another report earlier this week revealed that, despite O2's current exclusivity, T-Mobile is offering the iPhone 3G to high-spending customers in the UK.

Via: mobile-ent.biz

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Phones, Biz, O2, iPhone, Apple, T-Mobile, Orange