The director in charge of the iPhone for O2 has warned that employers may not let their workers use Apple’s hotly anticipated handset as a business device. Speaking to ZDNet UK ahead of Friday’s U.K. launch of the iPhone , Steve Alder said workers looking to use an iPhone within a corporate environment might come up against resistance from their internal procurement teams because the device is available only with a consumer service contract.
O2 has what Alder described as a “multiyear” exclusivity deal with Apple for U.K. users, though the operator refuses to divulge the exact length of the deal or the percentage of revenue going to Apple. “We do want to keep it clear that this is a consumer launch on a consumer tariff,” Alder said.
“Our advice is: if you’re in business, it’s probably best to check the policy within your company because it may not be possible to transfer your number from your business contract to the iPhone.” However, Alder said that if a business customer requested it , O2 would transfer the number. “There are people in business attracted by the iPhone,” he added.
Asked for his opinion on the announcement that Google and dozens of other companies would be working toward a rival cellular platform, the Linux-based Android , Alder said he would welcome any initiative to improve customers’ mobile Web-surfing experience. “If Google can do for mobiles what it has done for the Internet, that has to be a good thing,” he said.
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