Earlier today, we posted a report from TNW that showed UK carrier O2, had been transmitting phone numbers to every website visited via their 2G or 3G network.

After the backlash on Twitter, O2 acknowledged and fixed the issue at 2pm GMT today, followed by an apology on their blog, including a Q&A to explain exactly what happened and who was affected.

We have seen the report published this morning suggesting the potential for disclosure of customers’ mobile phone numbers to website owners. We investigated, identified and fixed it this afternoon. We would like to apologise for the concern we have caused.

The issue occurred after a routine maintenance update on January 10th, that accidentally sent user phone numbers to website hosts, along with the standard log of technical information required from the device.

Q: Why did this happen? A: Technical changes we implemented as part of routine maintenance had the unintended effect of making it possible in certain circumstances for website owners to see the mobile numbers of those browsing their site.

Technical information is normally sent to websites so that servers can deliver a 'device-optimised' experience. Carriers add your phone number to this information, when sending data to 'trusted partners', to enable services that require; age verification, premium-content billing, and carrier specific services.

It seems that O2 have fixed the problem now, but after 15 days... is it too little, too late?

Source: O2 Blog

UK network O2 appears to be submitting your telephone number to any website you visit whilst using the data connection on your phone. According to report from TNW, the information is transmitted when a user asks for a webpage view.

The issue was brought to our attention to Lewis Peckover, who created a simple webpage to check the information that a mobile browser would send to a website when it requested data. Whilst most of the data was to be expected, including the Host, User Agent, Referrer and Encoding, there was also another field in the results — x-up-calling-line-id. What is x-up-calling-line-id? Your mobile phone number.

We're investigating this with our internal teams, and will come back with more as soon as we can

Source: TNW

UK mobile network O2 has started offering the iPhone 4S on a new service which it is calling O2 Lease. The O2 Lease service, according to O2, is unique in the fact that it offers customers the option to rent an iPhone 4S with no upfront costs. The deal would run for twelve months after which you can return the phone back to O2 or renew the deal for a newer iPhone model.

Sally Cowdry, marketing and consumer director for O2 UK, said: “This is the first time a UK mobile operator has adopted a leasing model. We know that customers and small businesses are used to leasing everyday items from cars and washing machines to photocopiers and office space. They understand how it works and what the advantages of a leasing are. We have simply taken this idea and applied it to the smartphone market.”

Source:  O2 PR

O2 is currently advertising on their UK website that they'll have Angry Birds cases for Apple's iPhone 4. Slated to become available for order sometime this month, they'll be offering three different cases featuring the faces of those flying, pissed-off little birds that we've come to love so much.

Angry Birds has seen a lot of success lately -- they're currently topping the favorite addictive iPhone/iPad game in the 2010 TiPb Awards voting -- and for good reason. Apple also recently included Angry Birds in their new App Store Hall of Fame. Heck, even my 3 year old daughter has formed an addiction to this game! We're guessing O2 won't have any trouble getting these off their hands, as they'd make a great holiday gift.

Any UK readers out there planning on ordering one of these cases for their iPhone 4? Any US iPhone owners wish AT&T would offer them as well?

[O2]

T-Mobile has been the exclusive carrier of the iPhone in Germany since the first iPhone in 2007, however there is new evidence to show that T-Mobile may lose its exclusivity to O2 and Vodafone in the coming weeks.

• The O2 Germany website, has launched a ‘keep me informed’ page, that offers “the latest news and everything to know about the iPhone 4 on O2”

• The Vodafone website has launched a similar page that allows you to sign up and select which iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS you want to be notified about.

Both carriers are yet to announce any official pricing or release date, however one source at iPhone-Ticker.de has said that Vodafone will have iPhone 4’s starting Wednesday 27th October, with prices starting at €729 and as high as €849, off contract.

Rumoured contract prices start at €169,90 for the handset and €45 a month for the low-tier contract, to as high as €119,95 a month, with the handset at €1 for the higher-tier contract.

This marks the end of T-Mobile’s exclusivity in Germany, and sees them join the likes of the UK and Canada in the list of multiple-carrier countries. Unless and until Verizon iPhone (or Sprint or T-Mobile) rumors prove true, the US remains exclusive to AT&T.

So, any T-Mobile Germany iPhone users tempted to switch?

[iPhone-Ticker.de, AppleInsider]

by George Lim

Even before Apple announced the iPhone 4 was coming to the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan on June 24, AT&T announced new, tiered and capped data plans and aggressive upgrade options for the new handset. Internationally...? Cricket chirps.

So here's where the power of the TiPb nation comes in. We've put as much as we could find below, but if you know more about carrier plans and upgrade options in the UK, France, Germany, or Japan, drop it in the comments and we'll update the post.

UK iPhone 4 pricing

O2 UK

Monthly plans begin at 100 minutes and 500 MB of data priced at £25 for a 24-month contract and £30 for an 18-month contract and ramp up to unlimited calling and 1 GB of data priced at £60/£65. A footnote to O2's pricing matrix indicates, however, that the carrier will continue running a "promotion" offering unlimited data for all smartphones until October, at which time the company will offer additional data in 500 MB (£5) and 1 GB (£10) buckets.

For £20 a month you can buy off your existing contract to become eligible for upgrade faster. [MacRumors]

Vodafone UK

Leaked [Engadget]

France iPhone 4 pricing

Pending...

Germany iPhone 4 pricing

Pending...

Japan iPhone 4 pricing

Softbank

Black only (no info on white), pre-orders begin June 15, 5pm online and in store. Proof of identity required.

• 57,600 yen ($624) for the 32GB model
• 46,080 yen ($500) for the 16GB model
• COD or 24 payments of 2,400 yen/1,920 yen.
• Value plan Unlimited Data for 4,410 yen per month
• Basic plan starts at 1,029 yen a month, tops out at 4,410 for unlimited
• Value plan subsidizes 1,920 yen a month for 24 months.
• Basic plan subsidizes 1,440 yen a month for 24 months.

A two year commitment for a 32GB iPhone 4 will cost you 57,600 yen but return 46,080 yen in discounts bringing a total difference of 11,530 yen or around $125 USD. A 16GB iPhone 4 will cost 46,080 yen with 46,080 yen discount or a whopping 0 yen!

[Mobile Japan via 9to5Mac]

Keep it coming!

Orange was first out the gate with iPad 3G data plans in the UK, and now O2 and Vodafone are finally showing their hands as well. The plans certainly look more flexible than AT&T's US plans, though the lack of real unlimited data is apparent. No ability to add the iPad to an existing account like Rogers in Canada either.

Orange UK iPad data plans

• 5p (per MB)
• £2 200MB/day
• £7.50 1GB/7 days
• £15 3G/month
• £25 10GB/month

The last two plans also include access to Orange's Wi-Fi hotspots.

O2 iPad data plans

• £2 500MB/day
• £10 1GB/30 days
• £15 3GB/30 days

All plans are recurring and include access to O2's Wi-Fi hotspots.

Vodafone iPad data plans

• £10.00 250MB per month
• £25.00 5GB per month

[Apple Online Store UK, O2, thanks for the details, Chris!]

If you're picking up an iPad Wi-Fi + 3G in the UK, let us know which carrier and what plan you're picking up with it. And what you think of the rates.

The UK's leading provider of mobile phones, O2, is openly admitting to having iPhone related network issues. It seems AT&T might not be alone after all, as O2 chief executive Ronan Dunne recently let out the secret that the last 6 months the iPhone had overwhelmed its network in London. Of course, O2 is claiming that the issues are all fixed and the network is as healthy as ever.

O2 iPhone owners have suffered through some of the same issues as some AT&T customers have experienced - dropped calls, data inconsistency, etc... So the big question is what has O2 done to solve the issue at hand? They've gone and spent a ton of money on the network to meet it's demand including adding 200 additional mobile towers in the areas of need.

Any of our readers currently on the O2 network care to comment on your current service? Let us know in the comments below!

[Via 9to5Mac]

The US sent the iPhone to Walmart and the Shack, so it stands to reason the UK would retaliate with their own mass-market venue, Tesco. In other words, Brits can now stock up on razors, lettuce, and O2-powered iPhones all at the same time.

Our only question remains -- how long before America raises the stakes again? How long before you can hit a drive-through at 4am and the mechanical clown speaker asks "ya want an iPhone with that? Supersize to 32GB?"

[Tesco via BBC via Engadget]

Chris from Mobiletech Addicts let us know that, as previously reported, O2 is coming through with the iPhone unlocks. Once their web form is submitted, they send a text (it took all of 15 minutes form him), then:

I put in a Vodafone Sim Card into the phone and fired up iTunes, a couple of minutes later and the [above] message appeared.

Congrats UK residents, you're free at last!

(Now if only Rogers Canada would find a pair and do likewise right...)

Making good on their promise from a few days ago, O2 UK has launched a website where customers can get their iPhone's officially unlocked starting November 10, 2009. Here are the details:

• Pay Monthly customers can get the unlock any time, but you have to keep paying O2 for the length of your remaining service contract.
• Pay Go customers can get the unlock after 12 months, for a one-time £15 fee (deducted from airtime balance).

To begin the process, customers need to complete the online form (via the link above). The process will take up to 14 days, but customers will get an SMS confirmation when it's completed, and they can then place a non-O2 SIM in their iPhones, hook up to iTunes, and finish the unlock.

Curious as to whether the other major new iPhone multi-carrier market would be following suit, TiPb contacted Rogers and received the following reply:

Rogers policies haven't changed in this regard.

One step forward, one step back. Hopefully Rogers will reconsider and take a page from O2's consumer-friendly approach.

Meanwhile, if you go for the new O2 unlock, let us know how the process works out for you!

[Via Chris Oldroyd]

With the UK moving from the iPhone exclusively on O2, to one launching on Orange UK tomorrow, with Vadafone UK/Ireland and perhaps 3 also in line, what does this mean for existing iPhone users and their carrier-locked iPhones? Thankfully, it looks like O2 is doing to do right by you:

Once the iPhone becomes available on other UK networks, we will allow O2 customers to unlock their iPhones, although of course they will still need to honour any outstanding contract period they have. At the end of their contract period, they are entirely free to move to another operator — though naturally we hope they won’t want to!

Excellent news for the UK, and we can only hope other countries and carriers, like Rogers, Bell, and Telus in Canada, will swiftly follow suit (we won't hold our breath though...)

We're not sure how this process would be handled, for example, would an iPhone user need to physically go to an O2 service rep to have their iPhone unlocked via in-store iTunes tools? If anyone has an answer, let us know.

[Times Online via Stuartino in the TiPb forums]

Pop-quiz: You're O2 and you just lost iPhone exclusivity in the UK, and now have to compete with both Orange and Vodafone for users' iPounds. What do you do? Why, tell them you still have the iPhone... and are getting the Palm Pre?!

We’re proud that we’ve been able to offer an exclusive iPhone deal to our 20 million customers for the last two years. We always knew that iPhone exclusivity was for a limited period of time, but our relationship with Apple continues and will be an ongoing success. We have over 1 million iPhone customers and they remain very important to us.

We aim to offer our customers the best devices on the market, including becoming the home of Smartphones and we are really pleased to now add another device in the Palm Pre. We also offer award-winning customer service and benefits, which is why more people choose O2 than any other network in the UK.

What say you UK readers, if you're thinking of taking your iPhone to another network, will offering you the Palm Pre change your mind?

[via Engadget Mobile]

The Register, (via Engadget Mobile) is reporting that T-Mobile UK is slipping unlocked iPhones to high-value customers in an attempt to keep them from switching to the exclusive UK iPhone carrier, O2.

It seems if you do indeed appear to be a big spender on T-Mobile, you just need to find a willing customer service rep, threaten to take your money and go to O2, and they'll slip you an unlocked iPhone (smuggled over from T-Mobile Germany, perhaps?). Apparently, however, they're limiting this to 150 units a week so as not to be too overt -- or called out to joust by angry O2 bigwigs.

Any UK readers nab one?

Very brand-conscious start time aside, looks like UK customers on O2 now know what time the queue ends and the buying begins...

UPDATE: Sounds like the second poster, below, might be there just in case a store sells out and wants to inform customers. Thanks to everyone in the comments for logic-ing this out!

Due to high demand we have run out of the iPhone 3G S

The good news is there are more coming soon

Ask a member of staff for details

Posterized version after the break!

With AT&T US and Rogers Canada having already weighed in, TUAW now brings word on what the chaps across the pond can expect for the iPhone 3G S, and it's, well... a lot of numbers, innit?

Check out their full post for all the details on Monthly and Pay & Go Plans, but highlights include:

32GB iPhone 3G S will range between £274.23 (~$444US) and £96.89 (~$158US) for an 18-month contract and £175.19 (~$283) and £0 for a 24-month contract. Contract prices range between £29.38 (~$48US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 18-month terms and £34.26 (~$55US) and £73.41 (~$120US) for 24-month terms. All plans include unlimited UK data and WiFi.

So, who's for a bit of a line up on Regent Street June 19 then?

(And yeah, old school LoTR graphic still alive!)

It's been two weeks since the July 11th, 22 nation launch. Do you know where your iPhone 3G is? Sadly, for many, the answer is still "backordered" if not "out-of-stock". But don't worry, your always customer conscious and perennially consumer focused mobile cell provider wants to make sure you know that they know that you're feeling some pain. And they want to assure you they're doing everything they can to get your money you your shiny new iPhone 3G.

First, they are absolutely, positively not hoarding them or stockpiling them in any secret iVaults. It's still first-come, first-served, and in AT&T is prioritizing direct fulfillment (with a 2 week wait time), and advising their stores are currently sold out. (Hey, they're moving it twice as fast as last year, remember? Just imagine if they had stock!)

Second, for its part Apple has stopped providing JSON data to independent webbers who were keeping you better informed (than Apple) as to what stores had precisely which units when you got there 15 exactly minutes too late. Back to Apple.com, or the still long line ups outside Apple Retail, for those in the US.

Third, in the UK 02 Online is out, stores are in increasingly short supply, but might get a few more units trickling in today.

Not worried in the least, Apple's supply-chain wizards plan to launch the iPhone 3G in 20 more countries in just under a month from now. Good luck with that.

Sounded like a great idea, dinnit? Put up a website where your customers could upgrade to the brand-spanking-new iPhone 3G kit, right? Digg effect, meet iPwnage (no, not the hack, the tidal-wave of traffic Apple's little gadget brings with it). It'll Steve your website right quick -- especially when you offer to hand deliver them on launch day!

Says O2:

"We had invested heavily to add a huge amount of additional capacity, 250 times its normal rate, and back-up systems. We tested this carefully in advance. The massive simultaneous crush exceeded even our worst case assumptions. Demand was at 13,000 orders per second. Frankly, we have to admit we just weren't prepared for this unprecedented level of demand. No Web site is."

Yeah. Just be happy you don't host a Stevenote stream. Traffic aside, though, 13,000 orders per second is staggering, and O2 admits Apple can't meet that demand during a 22 country simultaneous launch. In fact, supplies look tight for the next few week, and nary an iPhone White in sight!

Our sympathies for our United Kingdom friends. If any of you mange to nab an iPhone 3G, please let us know!

Read

Proving once again why telcos lead the universe in lack of customer satisfaction, within the span of a single day the UK's exclusive iPhone 3G carrier, O2, announced and then un-announced Pay-As-You-Go plans!

The original info revealed that you could get an iPhone 3G 8GB for £300 and 16GB for £360 on the PayG plans, with browsing (data?) and WiFi tossed in free for the first 6 months, and £10 a month thereafter. Offer valid to new and upgrade-worthy customers until the end of the year.

Now, however, the page is gone, the server is bereft, and only a very Apple-esque talk-to-you-later notice remains.

Accidental upload snafu, rapidly rolled back? Attempt to gaslight over-enthusiastic iPhone non-contractors? You decide!

UPDATE: Apple Insider is reporting that O2 may be honoring their usual 1-year-later unlock policy for the iPhone 3G on Pay-As-You-Go. This means, 12 months in, you could cough up £15 to get your iPhone opened up to any network.

Read

Another round of pre-WWDC mayhem:

First up, Ars Technica reported that AT&T followed the Apple Store's lead in being sold out of the current generation iPhone (2007) model. Did Apple really underestimate demand so uncharacteristically and dramatically, or are they learning to wean consumers earlier this time? And any wonder the old iPhone's market share has dropped, given that its been getting harder and harder to buy one over the last few months? Moday should fix that...

Next up, Apple Insider spread the unabashedly crazy-sounding rumor that UK's O2 might subsidize the iPhone 3G to the extent of making them "free upgrades". This links into other rumors of an ultra-low (~$200) price point for the iPhone 3G, with O2 willing to eat even that cost in an effort to attract tasty service-consuming users.

Lastly, Engadget works the bugs out of Google Translate enough to let us know that Reuters Italy has said that while co(?)-exclusive iPhone carrier Telcom Italia might not be selling the iPhone 3G early next week, they will most definitely probably be potentially announcing it. Wouldn't be waiting for someone else to do that first, now would they?

The United States and England are countries separated by one ocean and two languages, or so they say. Yet Apple Insider reports good tidings for both sides of the pond this week.

First up, the recent price cuts on the 8GB iPhone in the UK seems to have had the desired effect, with both Carphone Warehouse and O2 retail stores experiencing increased demand -- and even selling out of Apple's revolutionary mobile phone.

AT&T, meanwhile, boasted of a 22% increase in profits and the addition of 1.3 million new subscribers.

Boom indeed...

Following on a veritable flood of previous "OMG 3G!!11" news and rumors, it now looks confirmed that O2 in the UK has knocked 100 quid off the price of an 8G current generation (2.5G) iPhone 8GB.

The discount is being referred to as a special promotion that will run through June 1, but following the T-Mobile discount promotion, and the apparent urgency for 3G in data-spoiled Europe, the rumor mill is running full bore again.

WWDC? What do you think?

The iPhone has now successfully stormed the mobile markets of both the Emerald Isle and the birthplace of the Oak. For those keeping track at home, this brings the official score card to:

(Not counting the massive gray market, 'natch).

What makes the two newest iPhone launches unique, however, is that while hardware pricing is consistent with other EU countries, it looks like Austrians won't be loving them some unlimited data any time soon, with T-Mobile caps firmly in place at 3GB. Of course, they're still better off than their O2 bedeviled Irish launch-mates, who not only get even less data at a miserly 1GB, but also don't get Visual Voicemail! (We should point out that, according to Apple Insider, use of Visual Voicemail in Austria will also count towards your 3GB of data!)

So are these capped data plans the future of iPhone? Are the European EDGE networks so obsoleted by 3G that they can't handle more or is Apple being forced to concede on their data demands to get their units into more and more territories?

And now that 5 and 6 are settled, who's in the running for 7? Apple COO Tim Cook did promise us Asia this year, which makes Japan (who knows about China?) a possibility. What about Australia? Scandinavia? Are we betting on Antarctica before data-gouged Canada? (I am!)

Based on O2's last quarter earnings report, the iPhone is not only O2's fastest selling device, is not only setting new records for customer satisfaction, but helped contribute towards a 9.5% increase for the last quarter 2007.

In addition to Apple's debut mobile device having the lowest return rate among O2's lineup, it also drove a whopping 30% more revenue per user than the carrier's average, and helped add 483,000 customers and 276,000 new contracts (roughly 60% of which were nicked from the competition).

Impressive, innit?

But is it enough to help shore up what some see as Apple's diminished leverage with international carriers, especially with companies like China Mobile which boast hundreds of thousands of unlocked units already on their networks? We'll see...

Current exclusive UK iPhone carrier O2 has apparently confirmed to Pocket-lint (via Engadget) that Apple's finest will be launching on Ireland's emerald shores come March 14th.

As with the UK, the device will sell via O2 Retail and Carphone Warehouse, cashing in at €399 (incl. VAT) for the 8GB or €499 (incl. VAT) for the 16GB, with rate plans starting at €45.

With O2 expanding its exclusivity into Ireland, and T-Mobile set to expand theirs into Austria, what's next? Orange in Belgium? AT&T somehow getting into Canada? What's your guess for iPhone's next move?

UPDATE: Looks like the 1.1.4 firmware confirms carrier listings for O2 in Ireland and T-Mobile in Austria (Macity via Ars Technica).

UPDATE 2: It's official, O2 launches the iPhone in Ireland (via Engadget).