THE must-have iPhone is to become available on a third mobile network after Vodafone announced today that it had struck a deal with handset maker Apple.
But the mobile giant did not secure the agreement for Christmas, leaving rival operators O2 and Orange to go head-to-head over the festive period.
Vodafone said the iPhone deal covers both the 3G and more powerful 3GS handsets and would be availab
le in the UK and Ireland in "early 2010".
The agreement follows yesterday's announcement by Orange that its customers would have access to the handsets later this year, breaking the hold of O2, which had previously had exclusive rights over the iPhone.
Neither Orange or Vodafone have given details of handset costs or tariffs, but it is hoped that competition between operators will pull down prices.
A spokeswoman for Vodafone said there was no firm date on a pricing announcement yet, although customers can already pre-register their interest.
It is hoped that prices could come down as the three operators vie for customers.
At the moment O2 customers can get the 3G iPhone free if they sign up to a two-year contract at £34 a month.
For the 3GS version a customer would pay up to £274 for the phone along with a monthly tariff or receive the handset free and pay £73 a month for up to two years.
O2 will continue to sell the handset in the UK, alongside the highly-anticipated iPhone rival the Palm Pre.
Newbury-based Vodafone recently announced plans to capitalise on the growing popularity of so-called smartphones from the likes of Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia and phones using Google's Android operating system.
The firm is launching its own handset and applications shop as well as an internet service that will allow users on any network to synchronise all their contacts from their mobile phones and accounts on Facebook, Windows Live Messenger and Google Talk. Other sites like Twitter will be added later.
