Orange, O2 deny UK iPhone claim

Orange and O2 are have moved into damage control, denying claims that both will offer the iPhone in the UK from the end of the year, a report claims.

These denials follow reports which emerged last week, reports which suggested Orange would join O2 in selling the device in the UK market by the end of the year.

It was then claimed that the exclusive deal between Apple and O2 was due to expire this year, leaving Apple open to working with other carriers in the region. These reports were unfounded, it seems, with O2 once again stressing it holds a multi-year agreement with Apple for iPhone distribution in the UK. The iPhone has been available in the UK for under a year.

Public reaction to the reports suggested that should Apple want to tweak iPhone sales higher at any point, there is a demand for an Apple mobile to be sold free of any network restriction, a preference many in the value-conscious consumer market for mobile phones in Europe prefer.