UK Apple partner O2, who hold the exclusivity contract on the British version of the iPhone, have today announced a refresh of their iPhone-specific monthly tariffs that could see users with up to three times the amount of included voice minutes and SMS text messages as before.  While the two entry-level packages – priced at £35 ($69) and £45 ($89) – will not change in price, subscribers on the cheapest tariff, say, will receive 600 minutes rather than 200.

O2 has also axed the current high-end tariff, which was priced at £55 ($109), and replaced it with a “top tier” plan that costs a whopping £75 ($149) a month.  It includes the same unlimited data as the cheaper bundles, and gives users 3,000 included minutes and 500 text messages.

The iPhone handset itself remains £269 ($533) with a minimum 18-month contract.  While critics have suggested that the price cuts are related to unexpectedly poor sales performance of the cellphone in Europe, O2 insisted that it remained their “fastest selling” device and “an unbeatable proposition”

[via Guardian]