O2 looks set for a major coup by reportedly securing the exclusive rights to sell Amazon’s Fire smartphone in the UK.
According to reports, the two companies have been in extensive discussions, with an announcement set to be made sometime this week.
Neither O2 or Amazon would comment on the reports.
At the device’s launch, Amazon announced the device would be exclusively sold through AT&T in the US, although sales since then have been below-par in the face of extensive competition a range of new Android and Windows Phone-powered devices, as well as the existing strong Apple market presence.
O2 has historically enjoyed a very strong relationship with Apple, having originally first secured the rights to sell the original iPhone in 2007, giving it a major head start on its rivals, and continuing that partnership ever since.
In had been reported earlier this summer that Amazon was in talks with both O2 and Vodafone regarding the UK launch of the Fire smartphone, despite the device initially being launched as a US exclusive.
Vodafone already has a pre-existing relationship with Amazon, which provided the mobile data plans for the company’s Kindle tablets and e-readers.
Announced in June and made available to purchase the month after, Amazon’s first foray into the smartphone market has received mixed reviews so far. This is despite several unique features including "Dynamic Perspective", a 3D-esque display which utilises multiple front-facing cameras to allow gesture-based controls, and ‘Firefly’, which uses visual scanning to quickly identify items before taking you to the corresponding Amazon page.
