So the worst kept secret of the year so far is out. At a launch in
the Regent Street Apple Store this morning, the UKs largest operator, O2, was unveiled by Apple CEO Steve Jobs no less, as the official network partner for the UK launch of the iPhone. 
Were
thrilled to be partnering with O2 to offer our revolutionary iPhone to
UK customers, said Jobs. US iPhone customer satisfaction is off the
charts, and we cant wait to let UK customers get their hands on it and
learn what they think of it.
The handset will be available to O2
customers from 9 November, though curiously, theres very little song
and dance about it on the O2 website. Theres no mention of it on the
home page, and the O2 online shop is currently unavailable, either for
updating, or possibly due to hordes of consumers trying to log on and
place an order. Neither the handset, nor Apple itself, even features in
the mobile handset selector menu on the site.
The 8GB handset will
cost 269 and will sync up to a PC or Mac. It will be available direct
from O2, from Apple stores, and from The Carphone Warehouse. There are
three tariffs, 35, 45 and 55, all including unlimited data, though
this is subject to the usual fair usage policy. The tariffs also
include free unlimited use of the 7,500-hotspot UK-wide wi-fi network,
The Cloud.
The lack of 3G capabilities may put some off – Jobs
said at the launch that a 3G version would be ready some time next year
but given the frenzy around the iPhone since its launch in the
States, the other UK operators, however interested or otherwise they
may have claimed to be in the iPhone, should perhaps brace themselves
for a flood of calls from their customers asking for their PAC (Port
Authorisation Code) in the run-up to Christmas.