Orange to sell iPhone

Orange is to start selling iPhones in its UK stores later this year after signing a deal with Apple.

The iPhone 3G and 3GS models will be available through several channels including Orange shops and the mobile phone company’s website as O2’s exclusive contract to sell the phones nears an end.

Orange already sells iPhone in 28 countries and territories worldwide.  

O2 won the right to sell the iPhone in the UK two years ago and has benefited greatly from the deal announcing earlier this year that it had sold one million of the smartphones.

The deal comes a month after France Telecom’s Orange agreed to merge with Deutsche Telekom’s T-Mobile to create the UK’s biggest mobile operator in a 50:50 joint venture.

The deal will see current market leader Telefonica’s O2 pushed into second place, followed by Vodafone in third place

The mobile phone company says further information on pricing, tariffs and availability dates for the iPhones will be released in due course. 

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