O2 Cites More Than 8,000 iPhone Activations by End of iPhone Launch Day

Over on the other side of the pond, the iPhone may be doing better than expected. According to a source "deep within the belly" of wireless carrier O2, the company was able to beat its expectations for iPhone activations by more than 200% for Friday, the first day the iPhone was made available for sale in Europe. The source, who remained anonymous, reported that more than 8,000 iPhone activations were seen on Friday when O2 higher-ups were expecting something in the range of 3,000 activation via iTunes.

Early activation numbers "came as a pleasant surprise" and ran counter to other reports stating the European launch to be a flop. The source also revealed that Apple's deal with O2 runs along a similar path to its deal with AT&T in the U.S. and allows O2 to exclusively sell and service the iPhone in the United Kingdom for a period of five years, expiring sometime in late 2012.

During O2's third quarter conference call on Monday, mobile chief Peter Erskine was quoted as saying that O2 had sold "tens of thousands" of iPhones since Friday.

“It has been the fastest-selling device we have ever seen,” he said.

Erskine also added that two thirds of O2's iPhone customers were new to the wireless carrier, but refused to go into detail as to which wireless carriers they may have been leaving in exchange for O2's services.

[Via ArsTecnica]