The Financial Times is reporting that O2 will be the carrier of the iPhone in the UK. It’s a debate which has been going on for an awfully long time now, and I would be very surprised if FT would go to press with something they weren’t more or less 100% certain about.

I’m fairly indifferent with O2 being awarded the contract. I’ve had both good and bad experiences with them as a customer, but spent some time doing work experience with them a year or two ago and was impressed with how the organisation is managed internally.

The main thing I’m keeping my fingers crossed for is a data and call package which relates to the one offered in the USA. A sentence which worries me is:

The contract, which was signed by three European mobile operators in recent days, requires that the operators hand over to Apple 10 per cent of the revenues made from calls and data transfers by customers over iPhones.

I hope that the revenue from data and calls originates from the contract, rather than any additional fees for data usage. I feel strongly that an iPhone without unlimited data included would be a serious time waster, and it may even put me off purchasing one.

Let’s hope O2 pull the stops out and set a new standard in carrier service with the iPhone!