BBC News reports that supermarket and retail chain Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, will begin offering the iPhone 3G and 3GS through its Tesco Mobile arm, a joint venture with wireless provider O2.

A spokesperson for the firm said that it hoped to offer the phone “in time for Christmas”.

Although Tesco has not revealed tariffs, the spokesperson said that its prices were “competitive”.

Tesco has also posted an information page to provide details on its iPhone offerings as they become available.

O2 had held an exclusive agreement with Apple to distribute the iPhone in the UK since its introduction in November 2007, but other companies have recently gained the right to sell the iPhone there, with Orange beginning sales earlier this month and Vodafone set to follow early next year.

- source: direct.tesco.com