Editor’s Note: The following article is reprinted from Macworld UK. Visit Macworld U.K.’s blog page for the latest Mac news from across the Atlantic.
O2 has confirmed it will make an iPhone-related announcement in conjunction with Apple “in the coming weeks.”
The news was confirmed by O2 owner Telefonica Europe boss Matthew Key after Wednesday’s announcement of the mobile network’s financial results. While he refused to be drawn on an exact time-scale for the announcement, Key did confirm his company to hold a multiyear exclusive agreement with Apple for selling the iPhone in the UK and Ireland, despite recent chatter of a potential end to network exclusivity.
O2 confirmed it added 206,000 new contract customers in the first three months of 2008, saying: “This was driven by iPhone and strong “traditional handset” connections and excludes connections to O2 UK’s mobile broadband offer, launched in April.”
Key also responded to some claims the revenue-sharing deal it has agreed with Apple is too much in favor of the computer company, observing: “Clearly I don’t know the economic deals they have done, and I would reiterate we are very happy with deals we have done, which clearly they don’t know the details of either.”
O2 recently confirmed reports that the 8GB and 16GB iPhones were not available in the U.K. Similar comments from Apple about U.S. availability of the iPhone have fueled speculation that the release of a 3G iPhone is imminent.
In other iPhone news, Apple chose SingTel as a partner for the launch of the iPhone in Singapore on strength of the network’s leading market share in the region, the company’s chief executive said this week.
SingTel Singapore’s Allen Lew made the claims during the network’s financial results announcement. He said the company’s 2.57 million customer hold on the local market had “definitely contributed” to its success in getting the iPhone franchise.
SingTel this week confirmed it plans to launch the iPhone in Singapoer later this year. The deal may not be exclusive, rival operators StarHub and M1 remain in discussions with Apple, with StarHub claiming it expects to also secure an iPhone distribution deal.