According to reports in British newspapers, mobile phone operator O2, looks like its in the lead for the race to bring the iPhone to the U.K. Part of Spanish telecom Telefonica, O2, would be the first carrier in Europe to reach an exclusive network deal with Apple. O2, however, has yet to confirm the rumors.
O2 has the largest subscriber numbers in Britain with around 18 million customers. A small glitch in the rumor might be the fact that the iPhone was built to run on the EDGE network in the United States, so far the only carrier that uses EDGE technology in the U.K. is carrier Orange.
The German press is also reporting that T-Mobile will be the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Germany, with a launch date of Nov. 1. T-Mobile has yet to confirm or deny the rumors.