O2's exclusive Apple deal set to end in September

Various rumblings have suggested recently that O2's exclusive agreement to sell iPhones in the UK will not be renewed.

It is understood that the multi-year contract signed in the summer of 2007 between the two companies ahead of the UK launch of the first iPhone included a two-year break clause.

"O2 and Apple might not renew their exclusivity deal...it's up for renewal in September," someone told Total Telecom this week.

Mobile operators have been stocking up with the latest touchscreen smartphones in a bid to keep up with the coveted iPhone ever since it first launched - including O2 this week.

Despite a noticeable N97-shaped hole in its portfolio, O2 this week announced separate deals to sell the Palm Pre as well as Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy i7500 in the U.K.

What with regulations forcing Orange to sell unlocked iPhones in France, and the FCC reviewing the impact of exclusive handset deals on smaller carriers in the U.S., will we eventually see an end to exclusive handset deals altogether?

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New subs figures from DoCoMo

NTT DoCoMo recorded a net increase of 112,400 mobile subscribers in June to take its total customer base to 54.86 million.

The Japanese mobile operator reported its latest monthly stats on Tuesday.

A massive 50.27 million of the total were customers of its FOMA 3G service, the operator revealed.

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Voda announces UK femtocells launch

Vodafone will roll out femtocells in the U.K. this summer, it emerged on Tuesday.

The mobile operator plans to launch the home base station technology from 1 July, a source told Total Telecom this morning.

A press release from Vodafone duly followed. The operator plans to charge £160 for a home femtocell, known as the Vodafone Access Gateway, or charge for the box on a monthly basis, at £5 per month. The femtocell will also be added to a number of tariff bundles starting at £15 a month.

Click here for more information.

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iPhone fever

iPhone fever is back and has afflicted a close family member of one of Total Telecom's editorial team.

Yes, a certain brother of mine was queuing in the fresh summer air for two hours this morning outside O2's Lime Street store in London so he could be one of the first to get his hands on the latest incarnation of the Apple iPhone, the 3GS.

However, it seems that not everyone is reporting symptoms of iPhone fever.

"People kept coming up and asking what the queue was for - expecting some sort of amazing giveaway," he said.

"When the queuing nerds explained that it was to fork out tons of money for an iPhone the reaction was either mocking laughs or total bemusement."

And how much did he 'fork out' for his prepay 32 gigabyte iPhone 3GS?

"£538 plus £10 credit...ouchie."

Ouchie.

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