Vodafone announces iPhone release date

Vodafone will sell the Apple iPhone in the UK from 14 January, the company announced on Monday.

For businesses, tariffs start from £30 per month for a 24-month contract, which includes an iPhone 3G 8GB handset supplied without charge, said the company.

Customers can pre-order the handset from Monday, Vodafone said in a statement.

"We're especially pleased to offer iPhone to business customers from launch, both directly and through a network of 20 dealers across the country — clearly demonstrating that Vodafone is the natural home for small business," Vodafone UK chief executive Guy Laurence said.

Vodafone announced in September that it would start selling the iPhone in the UK. The Vodafone Group also sells the handset through 13 of its operators around the world.

The iPhone was initially sold in the UK exclusively through O2. That period of exclusivity ended when Orange began to offer the iPhone in November.