Mobile Phones Blog

It looks as though Apple have sealed deals with the major European networks, providing each of the major players with exclusive rights to sell what has become the Buzz Lightyear of the mobile phone world - the iPhone.

Orange get to release the iPhone in France, T-Mobile in Germany, and here in the UK the first people to get their hands on one will be greeted with the familiar O2 logo when they turn it on for the first time.

The first generation iPhones will not feature Bluetooth stereo and will not be 3G, as they will be aimed at casual users for whom BlackBerry-esque instant email access is not a priority. A 3G version is expected to be released in the near future, much as different sizes and specifications of the iPod (Nano, Shuffle, etc) were released.

However, as there have been no official noises yet from either Apple or any of the networks, its unsure if O2 - who have paid upwards of £4 billion for iPhone rights - will get first dibs on future versions. An iPhone with VoIP would be a real coup for any network, in particular Orange and O2, who also sell broadband services.

Everyone concerned is staying silent on the issue - Apple and the respective networks will formally announce the deal the IFA international consumer electronics exhibition in Berlin next week. We’ll post updates on this as and when they come in.

3 are all set to release a new mobile broadband service for laptop users this September; mobile surfers can connect to the net by plugging in a USB stick/dongle into their machines, which will then connect the laptop to the net wirelessly.

Average connection speeds are mooted to be around 2.8Mbps and varying levels of monthly allowance will be made available

Lite (1GB), Plus (3GB) or Max (7GB) for £10, £15 or £25 per month, with 10p per megabyte should you need additional monthly space.

The service is available to anyone, but 3 Mobile broadband customers will be able to qualify for exclusive discounts - standard price of the USB stick is said to be around £99 for non-3 customers. Discounts will vary according to the length of your contract and the type of tariff you are on.

3 mobile broadband will initially only cover areas within London, and areas of England north of Birmingham as well as parts of Scotland and Ireland - a phased roll out of the service will gradually take place with a view to providing coverage to practically everywhere in the UK by December this year.

Anyone can sign up for this service, you don’t have to be a 3 mobile customer, although if you are, you will be able to qualify for a discount off the total cost of the USB stick, the price of which normally is mooted to be £99.

A rather famous chap once said that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” O2’s SIM-only monthly plan has been a massive success. Starting at a mere £15 a month (200 minutes and 200 texts - 400 if they sign up online), O2 Simplicity has seen large numbers of PAYG and contract users migrating to this easy to understand, no-frills price plan.

Customers often opt for PAYG price plans for reasons of convenience, relative inexpense and not being tied into hefty monthly payments - Simplicity takes the sting out of this by offering existing customers on prepay plans the chance to swap their old SIM for a new one, to pricing plans that are comparable to amounts generally spent on infrequent mobile top-ups.

An O2 spokesperson is quoted saying that 90% of Simplicity sales were from prepay customers: ‘It’s massive and we’re getting lots of queries about it. It’s probably the biggest thing we’ve released. It’s aimed at prepay customers and it’s not tying them to 12 or 18 months. They’re trying it out before maybe going onto a proper contract.’