O2 shifts 1 millionth iPhone in the UK
Milestone helps bubbly network grow year on year
O2 has announced that it managed to shift its millionth iPhone onto the UK public last quarter, helping it achieve positive year-on-year revenue growth.
In its quarterly results, the network showed a 5.9 per cent growth in revenue, which was squarely in the middle of what was expected.
BlackBerry devices have also fared well for the network, which has twice seen queues around the block for a new device when it launched both iterations of the iPhone in the UK.
While the company is also a relative minnow in the broadband market, it has seen some strong growth in that area too, with a four-fold increase in the customer base.
Warning
While the news was apparently good for O2, there was still a warning from Matthew Key, Chairman and Chief Executive of Telefonica Europe:
"While our results appear to be bucking economic trends, we remain concerned about the current trading environment which has resulted in an overall smaller market.
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"In times like these, execution becomes even more critical in offering customers services and propositions that they value."
Vodafone is attempting to steal some of the iPhone's thunder this year by announcing exclusive deals with the HTC Magic and possibly the Palm Pre too, according to the rumours.
However, with the speculation of a new iPhone coming later in the year, one that's likely to fall under the multi-year exclusive deal O2 has struck with Apple, it could be another good year for the oxygenated ones.
Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.