Infinite Path

It has been confirmed by Orange, the mobile telecommunications company based in the UK, that the exclusivity arrangement between Apple and O2 has come to an end and Orange will be stocking the iphone as part of its handset range by the end of this year.

O2 has had the exclusivity deal with Apple since the launch of the device in 2007. Whilst O2 admit that they knew their deal couldn’t last forever, they have certainly enjoyed a long period of time as the only UK vendor.

Orange are now going to significantly change the look of the market in the UK. When their deal goes through fully, and the iphone stocks start to reach the shelves, this will mean that three quarters of the UK will have access to the iphone. This could further increase the popularity that the iphone now has. Many people have remained loyal to their service provider and resisted temptation to move over to O2 just for the device, though now, it is widely expected that the people who have waited it out will be quick to order it when available.

Orange is soon to complete a merger with t-mobile which will make it the biggest mobile phone company in the UK with a market share of 37%. Commentators are speculating that the newly merged company will have much better data handling capabilities and a better infrastructure for mass-market services. O2 has struggled with data capacity since so many of their users now use a lot of data with the iphone and other internet enabled devices.

The iphone will no doubt play a big part in the future of mobile phone sales and now that O2 is not the only provider to take advantage, there could be a lot of interesting developments in the coming months.

Vodafone have already stated that the iphone has had a detrimental effect on its business, so it is now highly likely that Orange will add further pressure to their position.