Vodafone, T-Mobile, 3 UK networks to carry Nexus One: O2 support looks unlikely
Vodafone, T-Mobile and 3 UK have all announced that they are in negotiations with Google support the new Nexus One smartphone from spring 2010, whilst O2 UK has stated that they currently have no plans to sell the phone.
“We are in talks with Google and hope to have something to announce soon,” a T-Mobile spokesman told Total Telecom. David Kerrigan, head of Internet services at 3 UK has also said that the mobile operator is “in talks with Google on ranging the Nexus One. It’s a great Internet phone and we expect plenty of people to import it to the U.K. We see this as a natural platform for our unique Skype, Windows Live Messenger and Spotify offers,” he said.
Vodafone has said it is yet to finalise a launch date, but a spokesman told TotalTelecom that it will offer the Nexus One to U.K. consumers first. “We are also in talks with Google to sell the phone in France, Germany and Spain, and we hope to roll it out to other European markets throughout the year,” said the spokesman. The currently displays an option for a Vodafone plan for European users which will be available in the spring, although no pricing details have yet been released. Vodafone has also put up a FAQ page for the Nexus One which gives some information about their plans to support the device.
O2 U.K. meanwhile said it currently has no plans to sell Nexus One. ”We have no current announcement to make about supporting the Google Nexus One in the U.K., but we will continue to review and refresh our product range to ensure we meet the demands of our customers,” said an O2 spokesperson, in an email to TotalTelecom.
The Nexus One can currently be bought unlocked direct from Google and used with any compatible GSM network. This means that the phone will work in the UK with Orange, O2, Vodafone, 3, and T-Mobile, who all support the 2100-MHz 3G band. O2 however appeared to want to discourage customers from doing this. ”As a general rule, to get the best experience from your mobile, we do not advise customers to buy handsets which have not been specifically configured for the O2 UK network,”, they wrote in a statement.
Orange are yet to comment on their plans to support the device.
