Vodafone reveals UK iPhone portal, what about O2?

Posted by Al Warmington on Tue 28 Apr 2009

O2's iPhone exclusivity in doubt as Vodafone steps up iPhone efforts

Vodafone has just launched a brand new iPhone portal in the UK. No biggie you might think, but a suspiciously altruistic move given that Vodafone UK doesn’t distribute Apple’s iPhone handset.

O2 snapped exclusivity rights a couple of years ago and despite the lure of being able to sell more iPhone units, neither the network provider nor Apple itself have dropped any indication that the agreement is about to change.

Vodafone generously declares that the portal is “available to all iPhone users, including non-Vodafone customers.” Vodafone also has iPhone distribution rights in other territories, but the new portal is decidedly UK orientated. You can personalize the site to suit your interests, with drag-and-drop widgets and news streamed from the likes of BBC, Sky News and Top Gear, as well as UK travel information.

If Vodafone isn’t getting a shot at the iPhone in the UK, its decision to open a special portal for iPhone users would seem very peculiar indeed. However, if it’s keeping something under its hat, it’ll likely make itself known around the time that a new iPhone shows. That’s strongly rumored to be this June, just in time for Steve Jobs’ return to Apple.

Link: Vodafone iPhone portal (via MacWorld)

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