Apple invite sparks iPhone rumours

Apple has sent out invitations for a press conference on Tuesday, prompting speculation about the identity of the European carrier for the iPhone.

It didn't specify the subject matter. "Mum is no longer the word" was the tagline attached to the invitation, stirring up talk that Apple is ready to announce its plans for European iPhone sales.

The company has previously said that it wants to start selling iPhones in Europe by the end of the year.

The Times reported that Peter Erskine, chief executive of O2, didn't quite confirm that his company was about to start selling the iPhone.
However, he told reporters that Apple's insistence on receiving a share of the carrier revenue from calls made with the iPhone — as Apple does with AT&T — is a good thing for the wireless industry.

Previous reports had indicated that O2 would be the UK carrier of the iPhone, but O2 representatives would not confirm reports on Thursday to The Times.

The Financial Times reported that Apple had chosen T-Mobile's network in Germany and Orange's network in France. It is not clear whether Tuesday's event will be just about the UK.

Apple's forays into Europe will be interesting, given the penetration of mobile phones. Apple is also likely to produce the first 3G-based iPhone for the European market.
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