Vodafone unveils iPhone pricing for January launch

2010 launch data and tariffs announced for Apple iPhone 3G and 3G S

Vodafone has announced the launch date and tariff details for the iPhone 3G and 3G S.

The iPhone 3G S is the latest - and fastest - iteration of Apple's iPhone, released this summer, the follow up to 2008's iPhone 3G which is also still on sale.

Vodafone customers will be able to get their hands on Apple's hardware on 14 January 2010. The mobile operator said it is taking pre-orders from today.

The iPhone is coming to Vodafone in January (photo credit: kennymatic via Flickr.com under this Creative Commons licence)

Earlier this year Apple's exclusive contract with O2 for the handset came to an end. Orange, Vodafone and Tesco have all since announced they will sell iPhones.

The iPhone will be available on Vodafone's network from £30 per month on a two-year contract. Consumers who wish to get a free 16GB iPhone 3G S must be willing to sign on the line for two years at £35 per month. Those wishing to get a 32GB iPhone 3G S at no additional cost will have to sign up to an 18-month contract costing £80 per month.

The cheapest tariff for business users is £30 (plus VAT) per month. The iPhone 3G is free across all business tariffs but SMEs wanting a free 3G S will have to sign up to a £40 (plus VAT) per month, two-year contract. Vodafone said the iPhone would be available to business customers directly and through a network of 20 dealers across the country.

Data is capped at 1GB per month across all consumer and business tariffs. Once the limit has been exceeded, a Vodafone spokeswoman said a charge of £5 per 500MB would apply.

Vodafone customers will be able to use the iPhone as a modem but additional charges also apply - £5 for 500MB, £10 for 1.5GB or £15 for 3GB.

The iPhone went on sale on the rival Orange network last month and the operator shifted more than 30,000 handsets in the first day.