Vodafone Confirm iPhone Release and Tariffs

Today, Vodafone have clearly laid out their plans for selling the iPhone in the UK for all to examine.  Vodafone are the latest UK network to leap aboard the iPhone sales train, joining Orange, Tesco Mobile and O2, whose exclusivity to sell the phone ended earlier this year.

The Vodafone iPhone will be released on the 14th January and there are a variety of new tariffs to go with it.  The cheapest option will cost £30 per month, with 300 minutes and unlimited SMS, plus 1GB of data.  If you want a 3GS with this plan – and you do – a 16GB version will be £149, but you could also choose an iPhone 3G and spend £59 extra instead.  To get a free 3GS, you’ll have to commit to £45 per month.

But as Tesco Mobile proved, it’s how long you must commit to the contract that separates you from the rest.  As expected, Vodafone’s contract lengths fall into 18 and 24-month categories, keeping in line with Orange and O2.

The UK CEO of Vodafone, Guy Lawrence, said the company has been preparing for the iPhone’s arrival for over a year, citing network speed and reliability as two areas they have been concentrating on to provide an excellent service for their iPhone customers.

Now the iPhone range is available for sale through four different networks, what will happen if – but more likely when – Apple launch a new version later in 2010?  Could recent FCC investigations in the USA, or examples such as last year’s successful overturning of France Telecom’s exclusivity deal, lead Apple to work with more than one network this time?  There is no doubt it would be better for the customer if they do.