LONDON -(Dow Jones)- France Telecom SA's (FTE) Orange said Monday it will start selling Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone in the U.K. from Nov. 10, which will end a two year exclusive contract held by rival Telefonica SA's (TEF) O2 mobile network.
The iPhone will be free from GBP30 on a 24 month Orange contract.
Orange announced the iPhone agreement on Sept. 28, but didn't give a specific release date, or details on the pricing and tariffs.
A day later, Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) said it would sell the iPhone in the U.K. and Ireland from early next year. Vodafone hasn't released details on their pricing, tariffs and availability.
More than a quarter of million Orange customers have expressed interest in the iPhone since the group announced its deal with Apple, Tom Alexander, chief executive of Orange U.K. said in a statement.
O2's exclusive deal with Apple has helped the company to bolster sales, customers and average revenue per user, and catapulted the operator ahead of rival Vodafone into first place as the largest mobile network in the U.K. by subscriber numbers.
--By Lilly Vitorovich, Dow Jones Newswires; 44-0-207 842 9290; lilly.vitorovich@dowjones.com