It’s two years since O2 became the exclusive UK network for the Apple iPhone… and today Orange has brought that exclusivity to an end. It’s selling the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS smartphones backed by an advertising campaign that says Orange covers 93% of the UK population with its 3G service – more than any other network.
O2 has taken the opportunity to announce the Sky Mobile TV iPhone application, which can be used free for three months by the first 150,000 O2 iPhone customers who register – saving the regular £6 monthly fee.
Vodafone has sent an email to people who’ve expressed an interest in having the iPhone on its network in 2010, claiming that video download times on a Vodafone-connected iPhone were faster than using its competitors.
3 UK is also grabbing headlines, complaining to the Advertising Standards Authority that it – not Orange – has the largest 3G network in terms of geographic and population coverage.
Each is a valid news story… but it’s surely no coincidence that all three are making headlines on the same day that Orange starts selling the iPhone.