O2 Announces iPhone Upgrade Plans, New Data Caps

iPhone owners on O2’s network in the U.K. is offering discounts for subscribers that want to buy their way out of their current contract to get an iPhone 4. Along with those discounts, the company also announced that it is ending its unlimited data plans in favor of tiered caps, much like AT&T is doing in the United States.

O2 will charge subscribers £20 for each month left on their current iPhone contract when they upgrade to an iPhone 4, and they’ll waive the usual 14-day window where they can back out of the deal.

The new contracts O2 will offer customers do away with unlimited data plans in favor of capped plans ranging from 500MB a month up to 1GB a month. According to O2, “Based on current usage patterns, 97 percent of O2 smartphone customers would not need to buy additional data allowances, as the lowest bundle (500MB) provides at least 2.5 times the average O2 customer’s current use.”

O2’s new smartphone tariffs

O2’s lowest price plan includes 500MB of data a month, 100 talk minutes and unlimited Wi-Fi access at O2 hotspots. At the high end, the £60 plan includes 1GB of data, unlimited talk minutes and unlimited Wi-Fi hotspot access.

The new base-level O2 plans offer twice the data compared to AT&T’s entry-level plan that offers only 200MB of data a month. At the high end, however, AT&T’s 2GB monthly cap beats O2’s 1GB cap.

Apple’s iPhone 4 will be available in several countries on June 24, including the U.S. and U.K. Pre-order sales begin on June 15.