During a special event [1] which took place in London earlier today, Apple Inc. announced that it will start selling the iPhone in the U.K. with O2.

The iPhone will be available in a unique 8GB model on November 9 for £269 (inc. VAT) with the following O2 plans:

- 200 minutes / 200 SMS for £35
- 600 minutes / 500 SMS for £45
- 1200 minutes / 500 SMS for £55

The three plans offer unlimited data and come in 18 month contracts as opposed to the two year contract U.S. citizens have to commit with.

The U.K. iPhone will be identical to the U.S. version in terms of features. It does not have 3G as some rumours suggested but includes free access to 7500 hotspots in the U.K., thanks to an agreement with The Cloud.

Apple is now poised to announce the partners that will carry the iPhone in France and Germany by the end of the month.

MacScoop has obtained some information on the availability of the iPhone in France back in August, you may check-out our report here [2].