Orange UK to Sell IPhone, Ending Exclusivity for O2

From PC World: Orange will start selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS to its U.K. customers later this year, it said on Monday. The deal means that rival network operator O2 will no longer have exclusive rights to sell Apple's phones in the U.K., something it has enjoyed for almost two years.

Orange is still keeping the details of the launch under wraps. More information on pricing, tariffs and availability dates will be released in due course, Orange said in a statement.

U.K. customers shouldn't expect a price war between O2 and Orange when the phone is launched, according to Carolina Milanesi, research director at Gartner. The launch of the iPhone, with multiple carriers, in other countries has showed that the operators stay close to each other when it comes to pricing, she said.

Orange doesn't want to comment on how it plans to differentiate its offer from O2's, according to a spokeswoman.

Network quality will likely be a key part as Orange tries to differentiate itself, according to Shaun Collins, analyst at CCS Insight. O2's 3G network has consistently been underperforming compared to those of its competitors, and Orange will want to take advantage of that, he said.

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