Vodafone’s announcement that it will offer the iPhone 3G, 3GS and variants on its network from 14 January continues the inexorable drive towards ubiquitous UK availability for Apple’s flagship handset.

After exactly two years of iPhone exclusivity enjoyed by 02, Orange stepped up in November 2009. Now Vodafone has joined the fray – Tesco also put in an appearance in December – with pricing plans for the iPhone 3G 8GB, the iPhone 3GS 16GB and the iPhone 3GS 32GB, with the phones free as part of selected contracts.

Customers who pre-order will enjoy free Vodafone to Vodafone calls for the duration of their contract – we’re looking at two years at £45 per month for a 16GB 3GS, for example, or £35 per month for an iPhone 3G 8GB. You can also expect 1GB of free mobile internet on one of the UK’s largest Wi-Fi networks, BT Openzone, ostensibly providing high-speed internet access at premium locations across the UK.

The iPhone 3GS, of course, improves on performance from the iPhone 3G - it can be up to twice as fast, plus a longer battery life, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera, video recording and hands-free voice control. Vodafone has also introduced a charge for customers wishing to use their iPhone as a modem – tethering charges start at £5 for 500MB.

The iPhone is a true phenomenon of the decade just ending: it is available in over 80 countries worldwide, with the promise of more developments to come. The App Store broke new ground, too, providing access to more than 100,000 applications (from games and social networking to financial planning and health management) and has already generated over two billion downloads to date.

With its network of 20 dealers (some 400 outlets) in the UK, indirect partners such as The Carphone Warehouse and Phones4u, plus Apple’s own retail outlets, Vodafone is confident it can deliver something extra – presumably in term of speed and reliability - to its iPhone customers. Guy Laurence, CEO of Vodafone UK commented: ‘We started preparing our network over a year ago so that iPhone customers will really feel the advantage of being with Vodafone.’

We await to see how Vodafone’s network, along with the competition, copes as consumers get used to relying on internet-enabled smartphones and mobile dongles for broadband data.

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