Vodafone has won rights to sell the Apple iPhone in the UK – but Vodafone will not have the product until the start of next year.

Mobile phone company Orange announced yesterday that they had reached a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone in the UK.

The deal marked the end of O2's exclusive arrangement to sell the popular phone in the UK, although Orange have not specified a date when customers will be able to buy the phone merely saying it will be "later this year".

Increasing numbers of small businesses are using the iPhone and it has emerged as the main business competition to Blackberry.