The base contract is available for £30 -- including a mandatory 24-month phone contract -- with £35 and £45 per month contracts also available.  

Users looking to avoid long-term phone contracts can purchase the phone for £239, though those who spend more per month and are locked into a contract can get a free iPhone.

Each contract includes unlimited text messaging.

Vodafone iPhone users have a 1GB monthly cap on mobile usage, with subscribers charged more if they go over the limit.  Orange has a 750MB cap per month for iPhone mobile Internet use -- both companies have unlimited Wi-Fi, however, the service includes an additional charge.

The iPhone for the Vodafone network is now available on pre-order.

To overcome Orange UK and T-Mobile UK, Vodafone -- which could be dropped to the No. 3 position -- hopes to offer superior network service over competitors, especially with the iPhone.

AT&T, the only U.S. wireless provider supporting the iPhone, has been slow to upgrade its networks, and instead blames iPhone owners for its lackluster 3G coverage throughout the United States.  Vodafone has likely watched AT&T's issues, and realizes that the company with the best network in the UK is the one that consumers will be drawn to.