The next generation Apple iPhone could be on sale in the UK as soon as July. According to analysts, the technology company is speeding up its process in an attempt to boost its sales.

According to experts, Apple is expected to allow mobile phone operators to subsidise the handset, which is thought to incorporate third-generation touchscreen technology.

The much-anticipated handset is expected to be unveiled at the company’s Worldwide Developers’ Conference in San Francisco on June 9 by Apple’s co-founder and chief executive, Steve Jobs.

According to reports in the Times today, the new model is due to hit UK stores by July, shortly after its US launch. The news is contradictory to Apple’s strategy with the first Apple iPhone launch, where there was a gap of several months between the US reveal and the UK launch.

The Times also revealed that, according to UBS analysts, the iPhone could be available across Europe for as little as €99, equivalent to approximately £60. However, one UBS analyst believes this price is unlikely to be reflected in the UK where O2 has a multi-year, exclusive deal for the iPhone and is likely to charge as much as £100 for the handset.

However, according to analysts at CSS Insight, Apple is looking into its strategy of tying the sale of the iPhone to one network per country, which is demonstrated by the fact that it is now available in Italy on a non-exclusive basis.

Telecoms analyst at CSS Insight, Ben Wood, said: “I think Apple has recognised that its exclusive deals with operators pushed more people to unlock iPhones and meet demand from customers on competing networks who wanted Apple’s hot product.”

© Fair Investment Company Ltd