O2 iPhone Update

We’re proud that we’ve been able to offer an exclusive iPhone deal to our 20 million customers for the last two years. We always knew that iPhone exclusivity was for a limited period of time, but our relationship with Apple continues and will be an ongoing success. We have over 1million iPhone customers and they remain very important to us.

We aim to offer our customers the best devices on the market, including becoming the home of Smartphones and we are really pleased to now add another device in the Palm Pre. We also offer award-winning customer service and benefits, which is why more people choose O2 than any other network in the UK.

Comments

[Mat tH]

We all want better deals though no new phones.

[Alan Colson]

Will O2 offer price reductions to existing O2 contracts if Orange's iPhone pricing structure is cheaper?

[Marcus]

Will unlock codes for iPhones now be made available if requested?

[Mark]

Will this mean a drop in prices or will Orange and O2 match pricing for phone and tariffs?

[Andrew]

But unfortunately you network coverage rural areas is next to non existant, and a reason a lot of current iPhone customers (myself included) will move to Orange as soon as they can.

If you had continued to invest in the network coverage and provided even basic services in these areas you would have continued to attract more customers.

[Max Tatton-Brown]

Would like to hear more on how you plan to compete with Orange. e.g. O2 3G network coverage is far inferior: http://j.mp/19RXBX

[S McLean]

Maybe this new competition will mean o2 will realise that they will now have to invest in more coverage of 3g network and that includes normal phone coverage as well, in parts of mainland and islands of Scotland.

[jon]

Am I missing on what the iphone deal is here?

all I can see is the release of the palm pre.

[twitter.com/dww84]

Does that mean that O2 will be allowing unlocking of iPhones, if already purchased or finished their contracts?

[Chris Beach]

Do you expect any customers to be loyal to O2 after you forced us to pay the same as new customers to upgrade from the 3G to the 3GS? Offering no incentive for our loyalty?

Not to mention the problems with your 3G network? Where your own staff recommend turning off 3G on our iPhones.

[Abid Hussain]

I for one have been extremely happy with O2's customr service, having switched to them for the iPhone.

I'm glad to see that they, at least state, that they intend to continue their great level of service.

[Joshua]

So does this mean that.. the tarrifs for the iphone will be changing, because whats the point in offering the iphone if you can get a better deal elsewhere, dont get me wrong i am a very loyale o2 customer and wouldnt want to change but surely once companies such as t-mobile get their hands on it, you will have some stiff competition in terms of deals.

[Sahajesh Patel]

I'll agree with the comment about O2's customer service being fantastic but coverage and pricing are the reasons I jumped ship to another network and now have a factory-unlocked iPhone.

It's unfortunate that having had the exclusivity (and knowing it would end), O2 have apparently done nothing to provide a better proposition for the inevitable.

[Rick]

So will you be rolling out half-decent 3G coverage to compete?

Will your extortionate prices on the new 3GS and Pre be coming down?

I'm off to T-Mobile for the HTC Hero at the end of my contract, anyway. Bye!

[Pabs]

Wheres the HTC Hero on your site? If you state the "home of smartphones".

Now I will be considering a network change, due to poor £g coverage and like of good smartphones, and also slow release of new smartphones.

[Julien]

Let's see how many customers remain loyal to O2 :)

[Orangeswitcher]

Will you be re-introducing the O2 Open Code for the 3GS now that Orange are going to enter the market?

If not, why would any of us who have been waiting to get the 3GS using the Open code not just buy from Orange? You have been shockingly poor at communications on this issue and your stores NEVER know the answer (nor even answer their phones most of the time).

Your customer service is, frankly, beyond a joke.

[Nick]

I have to agree with Dave. Why would I bother renewing my contract (which is up in 2 months) only to be tied into o2 again, ready for them to do us over when apple release a new product?

[Tony]

If O2 had the HTC Hero I would consider staying with them. At the moment I'm going to move my contract to either T-Mobile or Orange at the end of the year when my contract expires. The tariff prices for the Palm Pre aren't that appealing, and as they're the same as the iPhone, it's not worth it on O2.

[Tim Myers]

I moved from Orange to O2 to get the iPhone but outside of major cities O2s coverage is appalling/non-existant. In areas where I get no O2 coverage at all, let alone data, I get Edge and occasional 3G on Orange. There is no contest, O2 have failed to invest in their network and if I can move my iPhone to Orange I will do so as soon as possible.

[stuart]

only 461 days until I can cancel my O2 contract and switch over to orange! The futures bright, the future isn't with O2!

[Youngy]

Agree with the other comments about poor O2 network coverage. Even in Birmingham I rarely get 3G. Rural areas no signal at all. Invest in infrastructure. This will be the reason most people will migrate to Orange

[Tony]

I would just like to reiterate what Andrew said regarding coverage in rural areas.

I work in Dublin city centre and I live in Wicklow. Coverage in Dub is great, however in Wicklow it's a completely different story, an absolute joke! Rarely have coverage in the country and when I do it's one bar for a couple of seconds and totally useless. Really frustrated with it at this point!

I made the mistake of moving from Vodafone (who by the way have excellent coverage in rural areas) to O2 in order to get an iPhone but am weighing up my options now.

If you live in the country, well in Wicklow at least, the O2 coverage will drive you nuts!

[Toby Adams]

Perhaps this will force you to offer a more competitive deal?

[Dan]

I have been with 02 for many years, the 3g cover in the areas I go to is great. It's just pricing thats a problem and the fact that we need to pay a large sum of money to upgrade to the 3gs.

I wonder if orange will release a plan for existing 02 iphone users to transfer to them and to receive the 3gs for a good price?