In six weeks, Apple will be giving two other UK carriers - Orange and T-Mobile - the older 3G model of the iPhone to help boost sales as their exclusivity contract with O2 will end in September 2009. Both of these carriers are already selling iPhones in other countries.

This does not mean that O2 will lose the right to sell the iPhones to sell. In fact, they are retaining the exclusive right to sell the new 3GS model.

Even though they don't have the phones yet, it seems that Orange and T-Mobile have already begun to pitch the iPhone to potential customers, and T-Mobile call centers have been telling their customers that they will soon stock the iPhone.

Of course, O2 is clearly not happy about this news. With new carriers that provide the iPhone, this will surely raise a challenge that O2 must overcome by being more competitive with their rates. They will also fear that the competition will undercut them on the prices of the older models. 

UK customers would be happy to hear this though, since there are many that are put off with O2's 'prohibitive' pricing and instead look for unlocked iPhones to use with other UK operators.

Is this a sample of what will eventually happen to AT&T's US exclusivity? We'll see.

via MobileToday