Orange has today confirmed recent speculation by announcing that it will offer Apple's wildly-popular iPhone handset on pay monthly or pay as you go plans as of Tuesday November 10th.
The launch will kick off at 7am at select Orange stores across the country, and Apple's iPhone will also be available via the Orange website, telesales channels, Apple retail stores, Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U.
Shedding light on what consumers can expect to pay for Apple's premium handset, Orange has revealed that the latest model - the iPhone 3GS - will be available for free on pay monthly plans charged at £45 per month, on a 24-month contract. Pay as you go customers, meanwhile, can pick up the iPhone 3GS starting from £440.
With Orange set to bring O2's iPhone exclusivity to an end in just over a week, consumers hoping for a price war may be left disappointed. Although Orange price plans are competitive when compared to O2's current offerings, Apple's handset remains a premium choice.
Pay monthly consumers face lengthy minimum contracts, with the cheapest iPhone 3GS plan - offering 150 minutes, 250 texts, and 750MB of mobile internet browsing - costing a total of £712.98 over an 18-month period. A detailed list of Orange's iPhone price plans is available below.
Orange UK iPhone pay monthly plans:
| 24 months | 18 months | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| monthly cost | £29.36 | £34.26 | £44.04 | £73.40 | £122.34 | £29.36 | £34.26 | £44.04 | £73.40 |
| iPhone 3G 8GB Black |
free | free | free | free | free | £96.50 | £96.50 | free | free |
| iPhone 3GS 16GB Black or White |
£125 | £87 | free | free | free | £184.50 | £184.50 | £87 | free |
| iPhone 3GS 32GB Black or White |
£225 | £175 | £96.50 | free | free | £274 | £274 | £175 | £96.50 |
| minutes | 150 | 600 | 1200 | 3000 | unlimited | 150 | 600 | 1200 | 3000 |
| texts | 250 | 500 | 500 | 500 | unlimited | 250 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
| mobile internet browsing |
unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * |
| Wi–Fi | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * |
Orange UK iPhone pay as you go plans:
| Monkey | Dolphin | Canary | Racoon | Camel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| benefits | free music and texts | unlimited free texts | free evenng and weekend calls | 15p calls and 10p texts | call abroad from 5p |
| iPhone 3G 8GB Black |
£343 | £343 | £343 | £343 | £343 |
| iPhone 3GS 16GB Black or White |
£440 | £440 | £440 | £440 | £440 |
| iPhone 3GS 32GB Black or White |
£539 | £539 | £539 | £539 | £539 |
| mobile internet browsing |
250MB a month for 12 months | ||||
| Wi–Fi | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * | unlimited * |
* Fair Usage policy of 750MB / month applies.
Official press release: ORANGE TO BRING iPHONE TO UK ON NOVEMBER 10th
