Hello, O2: Pre's GSM flavor finally gets a launch carrier in the UK?
By Chris Ziegler 
posted May 24th 2009 2:06PM
posted May 24th 2009 2:06PM
Since its sneaky, silent unveiling at February's Mobile World Congress, the GSM version of the Pre has been a total no-show -- good for Sprint publicity-wise, probably, but bad for virtually every other carrier and potential customer in the world. If we had to guess, the silence can be attributed to heated negotiations between Palm and dozens of potential networks; the company knows it has a probable winner on its hands, and it has every reason to play hardball to get the best exclusivity deal that it possibly can. The Guardian is now reporting that O2 has fended off competing offers from Vodafone and Orange to nab the Pre in the UK, meaning that the carrier -- Britain's largest by subscriber count -- would be launching the device alongside the iPhone 3G, though rumors only have it pegged for pre-Christmas availability meaning it'd actually be doing with whatever new device Apple intends to bring to the table this summer. Whether it can hold its own against a renewed Cupertino onslaught in the holiday season remains to be seen, but in the spirit of competition and awesome smartphones, we certainly hope so.
sweet.
not sweet, my iphone 3g can hardly get a 3G signal with o2 if i was to swap for one of these "Sooo temped to do" i would expect a better 3G signal, o2 SUCKS for coverage, blahh should have stuck with orange.
@neal: Where about are you?
@neal
That's because your iphone sucks.
@neal
I have to agree with m3tric - I love my iPhone, but the 3G reception on it really does suck. It's going to be a really tough choice come December when my current O2 contact ends if they do end up selling the Pre...
Hopefully this will mean it's coming to o2 in Ireland also...
Was hoping for Vodafone ;/
Darn. This was the one carrier i didn't want it to be...
Oh well. I'll still get one :D
damn i need to dump myPhone PayasyouGo
it was time for Xda to get another really awesome brand new device
Annoying that it's going to take so long to arrive here, regardless of network. I wasn't expecting it too soon after the US launch, but maybe something like September... Christmas is a long time for me to wait. Might have to go for the Magic on Vodafone and write the Pre off...
the wait sucks indeed, although hopefully, we'll have ironed out major bugs by then, and this also gives us time to code up uk specific apps on webOS ready for launch...
sept would have been a touch tho... pre-christmas is going to mean 24th december blatently.
Great... so it's a choice of Pre or iPhone (updated) on O2 in the UK, with stupid contract plans compared to the likes of other providers (e.g. Orange or T-Mobile!)
I really didn't want it to be O2.
I'm surprised O2 have got it. They now have the two best smart phones on the market and they are going to have to keep the two companies happy that is not going to be easy.
I can see some sense in Palm picking O2 though, perhaps trying to make it easier to get iPhone customers already signed up to the network.
I was hoping for Vodafone or O2, purely because of coverage, so I can't say I'm too dissapointed.
Whats everyone got against 02? They gave me a great tariff, usually matching other networks if you call them up. They have the best coverage where i live and there isn't a point in my daily commute where i'm without 3G. They do all i need from a phone company really. Only issue i can see is they only provide upgrades a month before the end of your contract where Orange offer within 3 months.
Dave - the reason that ANY exclusivity deal is bad is that it benefits the two companies involved and hurts the consumer. If the iPhone was on two different carriers it would be affordable by now - instead it is still on an 18 month contract (or extortionate PAYG). Remember when phones were still as expensive, but you could get them on 12 month contracts? O2 don't want that - they want you on a 3 year contract like people in the US, and this is the way they are slowly creeping it in.
Competition is bad for business - that's why O2 will have bid over the odds for the Pre.
In my opinion, deals like this should be illegal. We should be choosing our network based on the quality of the network, not the phones on offer. This would encourage carriers to better the quality of the network instead of spending the money getting the good phones!
I'm looking for regulation to deal with this, this kind of stuff is really anti-progressive.
I cant believe i am saying this...but we need to follow the French.
No one phone can be locked to a particular carrier.
It is very anti-competitive and sounds a lot like what Microsoft got fined billions for by the EU.
@Sam
It doesn't surprise me that the French do it that way, god forbid they intentionally piss anyone off. /cheapshot
That being said, I wish it was that way in the US, too. I'm sure signing an exclusive contract is very lucrative, but making the phone available to all major carriers would be much more profitable for manufacturers.
These single carrier monopolies are very bad for the consumer.
The allure to handset manufacturers is probably the subsidies & associated marketing, as well as having fewer mobile operators to support, but it must, to some extent, reduce the total number of smartphone sales, if compared to having it available from all operators in all countries.
Fuck no, not O2.
Brian, there's plenty of phones available on every carrier in the UK. If you limit yourself to one particular phone, then complain that it has an exclusive carrier then more fool you.
Redcard - That is precisely the reason why I don't have an iPhone, despite thinking it is one of the best phones available. Unfortunately most people pick the phone first then the carrier - which is why we are in this situation where exclusivity deals are big business. These companies wouldn't enter into deals like this if it didn't benefit them. They are monopolizing the market and Ofcom is letting them away with it.
I wrote to Ofcom about this exact matter - they wrote back saying that they think the market is fair. How is less choice for the consumer fair?
I'm not sure why you are playing devils advocate on this one - surely you think competition is a good thing?
Pfft there's always a few phones at the top that are so far ahead that they leave everything else in the dust.
These comments are more interesting if you read them to yourself with a British accent.
A subtle hint of intelligence?
Damn... no way I'm going to wait until Christmas for this baby. Assuming it comes out sooner, I'll be getting the new iphone. I've been following the Pre like a true fanboy since CES and I've been out of contract for 3 months - using my N95 8GB as a dumb phone on the cheaest of tariffs - but I'm not going to get tied down to a 2 year deal for the pre when it is already 6 months old. I'm more than a bit gutted...
bollocks.
I've heard t-mobile from the cnet uk podcast, but then again they've got the G1, and i doubt they'd want THE most competetive phone to the G1...of course they're not the only android carrier so this might be a moot point.
but since vodafone have the N97 and Magic
O2 have the iPhone
T-Mobile have the G1
Orange have the Omnia HD
T-mobile seems the most likely with the most outdated (and now not exclusive) flagship
Playing Hardball is a good strategy? Sell the phone on any carrier anywhere outside the US and you will have a winner! Locking phones to a carrier is the worst strategy ever. And since they have already missed making a GSM phone in the first place, guess who will win in Europe anyway? Yep, the Fruity company...(Don't worry, I have an iPhone myself and would have loved to get my hands on the Pre, but if I can not get it for SIM card, unlocked and under 500 Euro, I'll wait one more year and see how good the PRE is actually going to do...)
Said it before: if Palm dares to pull an "exclusive" in Europe, they will not get my money. If I opt for a contract, I want to buy subsidized from the provider of MY choice. Exclusive deals hurt the consumer and the EU should do something about it.
yea it's time the blood sucking eurocrats did something useful.
I'm not happy that's going to be possibly on O2 either their price plans are not really competitive (I have an iPhone) the only thing I'm happy about with them is the unlimited data.
I say join the the revolution put Skype on the Palm Pre, iPhone or whichever mobile/cell you use and pick the cheapest plan that has unlimited data and f**k the carriers whoever you use! The more people who vote with their ears if you like the more likely they will change,
These anti-competitive practices must stop, OFCOM are in the pockets of these big global corporations so will not do anything!
The power is with us if wish to use it together!
I was really hoping they'd link up with 3 (or that Apple does when its O2 deal runs out), because the way they're pushing Skype at the moment (free, US folks, I kid you not, free Skype - even on a Pay As You Go sim with no contract tie-in), it would finally complete the revolution, the "phone" actually becoming for the most part a pure internet device. Contacts-app level integration with Skype for iPhone or Pre would be great, and 3 would, it seems, allow it. They'd get a ridiculous number of subscribers overnight. That'd pressure the other carriers, and hey presto, we just pay for unlimited data within a few years; no calls/texts/charges at all.
Thinking aloud, basically.
3 are massively shit. Bad customer service (based entirely in india), the network sucks, all of their handsets have to have proprietary software on them and they don't have the marketing revenue nor the consumer confidence to handle an exclusive deal on a mammoth handset like the pre or iphone.
Too little, too late, by christmas, the Nokia N97 would be rocking the UK... Sonyericsson idou along with 3 new Nokia phones would also be released during the 3rd quarter and nobody would want to purchase a 6month old ageing device, when fresh new babies are being born. If this launch date holds, I think the Palm pre would be a complete failure in the Uk and Europe.
iPhone 2G wasn't a complete failure on UK Christmas release, I don't see why this would be either. Some people don't care about having the "latest" phone in terms of hardware specs, we're seeing a move towards brand/OS preferences/loyalty in the phone market at the moment, I think. If something comes out at Christmas that surpasses the Pre in software terms, that'd be a different matter. I think it has most to fear from the rev.3 iPhone, TBH, but there's not much Palm can do about worldwide availability; they're moving at least as quickly as Apple did, it seems.
I'm in the Android camp and also a big fan of Blackberry devices, but I still hope that the Pre is VERY successful. Palm has done some great things with the design and that should force improvements to other smartphone designs. Ultimately, the consumer should win, in this battle.
Nice...
For those of you wanting the Pre but not the O2 shackles, chances are companies like Expansys will be selling them Unlocked/SIM-free or on contracts from other networks.
The HTC Touch HD (my current phone) is/was an Orange exclusive, I got it from Expansys on a subsidised T-Mobile contract back in December. Phone of my choice, on the network of my choice. :)
Paid a little bit (£20) more for the handset than I would've if gone with Orange, but the up shot is I have an unlocked and unbranded Touch HD (worth more when it comes to resale) plus I don't have to wait for slow/bloated/crippled network ROM updates.
O2's 3g (particularly HSDPA) coverage in the UK is ropey to say the least. That said they do have competitive plans both for price and what's included and if you're on one of their high end plans you can upgrade 3 months before contract end.
I'd be surprised if they managed to nab both the iPhone and Pre in exclusive deals though. I heard the iPhone exclusivity will end when the upgraded phone is announced in June and Vodafone will get in bed with Apple...
I have exactly the same thoughts on this as well. Can't believe that O2 managed to snag the Pre and the iPhone! This is definitely not good news for the competition. I think the only reason why this has happened is because they've probably lost their exclusive rights to the iPhone. I think that the Pre will do well in the UK, but it won't be a monster smash like the iPhone. The main reason for this IS the iPhone, more than likely Apple will unveil a new iPhone this summer, giving it a 2 to 4 month head start over the Pre. Thats just too much of a gap for the Pre to make up.
O2 are the perfect match. Much easier for Palm to get people to switch from the iPhone if they dont have to switch networks. And for O2 it is perfect because they know the Pre will take some iPhone customers away from them, so better to have the Pre on their network so they keep the business. I think O2 would have gone all out to get the Pre on their network.
AWESOME !
O2 => bouygues telecom in France.
Best piece of news of the week.
GSM version? Great, now to wait for it to hit Australia...
I hear that the new iphone is going to be going to orange anyways, i really cant imagine o2 being able to satisfy both apple and themselves by marketing and contracting two phones which are to be honest, head to head competitors. as i say apple would be pissed at 02 and 02 would be shooting themselves in the foot juggling the two.
orange would handle the data side of things much better with a more established 3g network, plus the barrage of existing customers would mean that apple would have such a huge proportion of iphone users to supplement their appstore.
anyone agree?
After using o2 and Vodafone for business there is no contest o2 network is nothing compared to Vodafone and their customer service is poor. I do not know what Iphone sales are in the UK but the tariff for the Iphone is steap when there are really good offers available on other similar specced smartphones but if Iphone is what you want then be prepared to pay through the nose for it.
O2 is a fantastic operator, all of their customer reps and sales teams are UK based meaning a better degree of service to the consumer, they actually give upgrade customers tariff bonuses to stay with them and they don't add extra costs to your monthly bill without your consent like other providers do. T-mobile may be offering 'the most minutes for £30' but how have those new tariffs affected their business? They've seen a mammoth fall in demand and their UK division is in major trouble: if they don't think of some gimmick to draw in new subscriptions i see a buyout by one of the other providers by 2010.
This move definitely makes sense for O2 as they will be backing two very popular devices in the same market, plus a plethora of upgrade customers who took the iphone 3g will be just out of their 18 months and ready for a new device, enter the pre. Furthermore, by placing their handset on the same network as the iphone, perhaps palm think people will actually choose which they purchase based on the merits of the handset, not the network: it would seem palm have confidence in the superiority of their device, a potentially fatal move considering that the iPhone is already established as a status symbol, in the UK at least. Palm seem to have put this faith in the british public's ability to make a reasoned decision based on the quality and merits of different products, when in fact the knuckle-dragging masses just buy whatever looks shiny on TV, or the product that has the biggest celebrity flogging it.
I personally think the pre isn't going to sell that well in the UK. O2 will likely slap their XDA branding on it, effectively rendering it a nerd/business handset and scaring away all the fashion-conscious imbeciles that make up the remaining 80% of the market.
o2 are a bloody awful operator, they don't know their arse from their elbow, they are in a constant state of perpetual upgrades on the network that are driven by necessity and not because they actually want to improve service for their customers. Until recently, if you were a domestic customer rather than business, your 3G bandwidth would be capped until you complained for exactly this reason. They only give you tariff bonuses as a sweetener when you threaten to leave, and don't actually mention that instead of signing up for another 12 month term like you originally signed for last year, the new deal is based on the terms of a 18 or 24 month contract. It's all for show, and once again, if you notice and complain, you might ACTUALLY get what you asked for instead of being ripped off by this total sham of a company. I have never been on any operator where i've seen mystery costs added to my bill, except for a mixup with Vodafone who despite having notoriously bad customer service, managed to refund the costs and give me a month line rental for free with no hassle.
They are too busy putting their money into things like o2 wireless, giving out bottomless glasses of champagne to "celebrities" you never even knew existed to actually worry about where the money comes from in the first place.
The thought of another good smartphone proposition on this network saddens me greatly.
Experience working in mobile retail has shown that generally, tmobile and orange will add itemised billing, internet bundles and photo messaging bundles onto customers accounts without their permission, either as a 'trial' or just for the hell of it. They usually pay the customer back if they complain enough but thats not the point. O2's customer service reps are second to none, always knowledgeable and friendly and wait times are usually less than any other network. I've been an O2 customer for 3 years and ive never experienced any drops in signal, '3g capping' or poor call quality. There are cases with any product or service that some people are dissappointed, but those levels seem to be considerably lower with O2 than any other carrier, and even then they actually try to remedy the issue as apposed to reading a script in a poorly feigned american accent. O2 now also automatically give their upgrade customers a free 'bolt on', worth about £7.50. Regardless, the pre will still perform horribly in the UK because its unlikely that O2 will give it as much advertising exposure as the iphone, and palm isn't a very popular brand over here.
O2? Thats a damn shame. I was hoping Vodafone, they are the best around from my experience.
And if that release date stands there will be a lot of people with the new iphone long before the Pre gets here.