O2, Carphone clinch UK iPhone sales deal
LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - O2 UK, part of Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica (TEF.MC), and European mobile phone retailer Carphone Warehouse (CPW.L) have clinched a long-awaited deal to bring Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) prized iPhone to Britain. After months of speculation that O2 had won the deal, the U.S. consumer electronics company finally confirmed at a London news conference on Tuesday that it had chosen the largest British mobile phone operator as its distributor.
The phones will be sold through O2, Carphone Warehouse and Apple stores in Britain for 269 pounds ($536) plus VAT from November 9th.
Apple, whose slick, touch-screen device combines its popular iPod music player, a video player and Web browser, is also expected to hand a German iPhone distribution deal to Deutsche Telekom's (DTEGn.DE) T-Mobile and a French deal to France Telecom's (FTE.PA) Orange later this week.
((Reporting by Kirstin Ridley
Editing by Kate Holton
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