It looks like us Brits wont be able to move for iPhone-toting users soon, as Vodafone have also announced that they’ll be carrying the iconic handset.
The news comes a day after Orange became the first UK operator to grab a slice of the iPhone action after O2’s exclusive deal ran out.
With Vodafone losing 159,000 customers in its latest quarter (and CEO Vittorio Colao claiming that this was down to them not carrying the phone), it’s clear that the company were desperate to make sure that their rivals Orange didn’t bag the iPhone exclusively for themselves.
The good news is that with O2, Orange and now Vodafone all offering the phone, consumers should be able to enjoy a good ol’ fashioned price war, with up to a £100 tumbling off the price of the high end smartphone.
Steven Hartley, analyst at technology research house Ovum, agrees:
There will be a price war. Research shows that in every country where there is more than one operator selling it, it is cheaper.
It could be very disruptive, but it depends how Orange play it. If they get really aggressive O2 will have to respond and a full-on price war could start.
Hartley reckons the the contract tariff for the iPhone will fall by around a fiver a month, knocking £120 off the price of the handset on a 24-month contract.
The Telegraph also reports that Virgin Mobile are also busting a gut to grab some iPhone action too, so things might heat up considerably around the Christmas period.
