If one can lease a vehicle, why not a smartphone ??? claims the UK Carrier O2. The network player in the country announced a pilot scheme of renting Apple iPhone 4S for a period of one year. According to the Inquirer of UK, the new rental scheme of Apple iPhone 4S named O2 Lease is the UK's first leasing service. This scheme allows users to rent the device for whole one year without any upfront costs.

Sally Cowdry, Marketing and Consumer Director O2 said, "This is the first time a UK mobile operator has adopted a leasing model. We know that customers and small businesses are used to leasing everyday items from cars and washing machines to photocopiers and office space. They understand how it works and what the advantages of a leasing are. We have simply taken this idea and applied it to the smartphone market."



Here goes the set of rules applicable for the customers. For a £55 per month users will get an Apple iPhone 4S 16GB with 750 minutes of talk time, unlimited text messages, 500MB of data and an insurance. Adding £10 per month, customer can upgrade to iPhone 4S 32 GB. At the end of the 12th month, customer needs to return the device to the carrier operator in good condition. Any damages to device may lead to charge of penalties or claiming the device original cost.

via [the Inquirer]