UK: Orange to offer iPhone from November 10

Jonny Evans
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October 24, 2009
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Potential iPhone customers in the UK this morning are learning that Orange will offer Apple’s device on its network from November 10.

The Times informs that’s the day after O2’s exclusive contract with Apple to offer the phone in the UK comes to an end. Over 200,000 UK customers are thought to have signed-up for information on the device when it reaches the network.

Orange has still not revealed prices or tariffs on the device, with analysts split as to whether new competitiveness in the UK market will see a price war on the product emerge.

Vodafone will also offer the iPhone in the UK starting next year, while the UK’s smallest operator, 3, has also said it hopes to begin selling iPhones by mid-2010.

It is interesting to reflect that during the Mac User Awards (a UK Mac publication) which were hosted on October 22 a series of nominations and awards were read out. While most nominations were met with friendly applause by the industry crowd gathered at the event, a nomination for O2 (as an ISP) was met with a very awkward silence. Perhaps the most picquant criticism of industry reaction to O2 iPhone network coverage yet.

Comments (20)

Macnerd (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 4:27am

Great news! My iPhone contract is up and I need a new one (mine is dying after being dropped so many times), so it'll be cool to see if Orange will be cheaper than O2. Surely more operators can only be a good thing for us consumers.

Jack B (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 5:01am

My wife has Orange and can't get a signal at home. I switched from Vodafone to O2 to get a decent signal here. The point is that the cost is irrelevant if the network coverage is lousy. Having said that, I'm hoping that the competition encourages O2 to drop their prices so I can get one (or even two) iPhones soon.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 8:50am

I don't understand people who sign up to pay a lot a money for a service that doesn't deliver them value.

I left my old service provider due to an unreasonable number of dropped calls. At least for me, a mobile-only guy who is on-call 24x365, my only choice was to change providers.

I can only imagine that people in the category of "paying substantial money for little value" must be extremely small. Are people here really that stupid???

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 1:06pm

That's a reasonably valid point, but the iPhone offers so many benefits (such as software like the GPS driven 'AroundMe' app), that this easily outweighs any shortcomings such as bad reception in a small number of areas. Anyway I have a work around for bad reception, it's called 'voicemail' (or an answerphone as we British like to say!).

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 1:47pm

I predict this will be the end of the iPhone. If you think about it, its pretty obvious.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 1:50pm

That's a pretty bold statement. I was kind of having the same feelings, but I'm not so rash as to just go believing its going to happen. Let's just wait and see.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 1:53pm

You're an idiot. The iphone has over 70 apps right now. People don't just spend their time creating them if its for a device that's going to fail. You fail!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 11:53pm

by 70 u mean 70,000

Sissa (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 1:51pm

Hi guys!
I moved to the UK one year ago and I am not totally sure about how things work here with contracts, upgrades and the like. Also, I never had a pay monthly deal before so I was wondering if you can help me with this.

I got an 18 months contract with Orange last December, with a Nokia handset. The contract expires in June 2010 but will I be able to upgrade the phone as the iphone comes to Orange, by paying or something?

Cheers!

S.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 4:18am

You will be able to upgrade from from 3 months before the end of your contract and roll over the remaining time to you new contract. This is their standard upgrade period.

If you want the Iphone when is comes out you will probably be able to pay an advance to bring your contract within the 3 month windows for upgrades.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | November 05, 2009 - 2:34am

nope,  I called orange yesterday and was told I would have to wait till my upgrade date and i wouldnt get an upgrade before then

Henry (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 2:07pm

THE IPHONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED NOW:(

EVERY CHAV IS GOING TO HAVE ONE:(

Please keep it at the same price points!

phelix (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 3:36pm

Ok, let me rephrase..

The first 3G came out about 16 months ago.
O2 offered 18 or 24 month contracts, so that means that Apple will likely produce a real new iPhone aka 4G, as opposed to an incremental model aka the 3GS, in the near term to satisfy the current/old 3G owners.

So, even though O2 will lose sole rights to sell the 3GS...

Part of me is thinking that we do not know the whole story....

Is O2 holding back (or renegotiating in the background) and readying the announcement of the 4G (with the blessing from Apple) early next year. They may still be the sole supplier in the UK...

newbreednet (not verified) | October 24, 2009 - 4:45pm

If I learned anything from Apple, it would be that they are damned CLEVER. Try to remember that (at least these days) they have thought through EVERY possible way things could go before proceeding, and thus; they know it is time to let the "chavs" have iPhones. Nonetheless... they know what the iPhone ecosystem is (they created it, dammit) and they'll produce something newer, more drool-worthy and downright out-of-reach of the masses soon enough...

Henry (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 1:05am

"they know what the iPhone ecosystem is (they created it, dammit) and they'll produce something newer, more drool-worthy and downright out-of-reach of the masses soon enough..."

Hmmm if you think along those lines maybe there was a reason behind not letting 3g users upgrade to the 3gs in a similar way to the 1st gen to 2nd gen. Many 3g users contracts run out in january so maybe we might see a new 4g iphone ?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 1:36am

I don't get it, how can ANYONE live in the blind cell phone spot without a signal and be in the need to switch carriers. Doesn't the UK have something like a national roaming? (for the uninitiated, national roaming is a legal/technical provision in which each carrier has to allow other network's phone to use their cells).

I just don't understand how there can be a blind spot for any network in London. But then, I don't understand why I cannot get 120 Mbps broadband in London's Canary Wharf area when I can get in a 50,000 town in Eastern Slovakia from 3 providers.

britmic (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 5:13am

I welcome this news, having imported an expensive factory unlocked iPhone in from Italy so that I could use my company provided vodafone SIM without hassles. O2 coverage in the UK is (generally) fine and dandy in built up areas but is rubbish in the countryside. Vodafone on the other hand has coverage everywhere I go, although 3G can be spottier.

I think this will decrease jailbreaking unless you still want to be a pirate who loads on apps without paying for them. The added functionality jailbreaking can bring isn't worth the increased chances of instability in my opinion.

This may be the end of the beginning for the iPhone, but it aint the end of the platform, I reckon it's got at least another decade in it before switching to alternatives looks anywhere near attractive.

andyorkney (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 9:53am

I Jailbreak my iphone 3g to gain password protection of certain applications such as my email and SMS & hide SMS sender. This is not to hide from my partner either! I work with troubled teenagers and children. The ability to hand over my iphone to a young person to play a game or phone a parent without the worry of my personal messages being read is invaluable. If apple let me choose apps to password lock & to set the level of messaging from badge on the icon through to name and then message preview I'd have no reason to jailbreak.

Really hope this shakes up the tariffs available to iphone users, the old iphone tariffs are getting long in the tooth & the SMS bundles for the price are really poor. The Tethering prices are a joke when I can get 5gb from Three for £7.50!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | October 25, 2009 - 9:18am

I'm not sure where this chav thing comes from - I'm in London and every Tom, Dick and Harry has the iPhone - Chavs and all. The iPhone very quickly lost any social cachet it had as it's such a huge commercial success. People who kid themselves that they're part of an iPhone "elite" are really kidding themselves.

in.here88 | November 10, 2009 - 2:17am

I welcome this news, having imported an expensive factory unlocked iPhone in from Italy so that I could use my company provided vodafone SIM without hassles. O2 coverage in the UK is (generally) fine and dandy in built up areas but is rubbish in the testking HP0-Y20 countryside. Vodafone on the other hand has coverage everywhere I go, although 3G can be spottier. I think this will decrease jailbreaking unless you still want to be a pirate who loads testking 1z0-042 on apps without paying for them. The added functionality jailbreaking can bring isn't worth the increased chances of instability in my opinion. This may be the end of the beginning for the testking 642-524 iPhone, but it aint the end of the platform, I reckon it's got at least another decade in it before switching to alternatives looks anywhere near attractive.