Olympics-going executives will need O2 phones

BRITISH MOBILE OPERATOR O2 has reportedly struck a deal with the UK Olympics committee that could see other service providers locked out from parts of the athletic spectacle.

Sources have told the Telegraph that a deal signed between the firms means that the Olympic arena's corporate entertainment areas, where 40,000 executives and guests will munch prawn sandwiches, will have only O2 coverage, forcing them to use that provider's handsets.

Shared areas will be open to all operators, adds the report, but the move to block them from inside the posh areas is a strange one. Users will have to swap their SIM cards if they want to make or receive calls in the corporate areas.

The London 2012 Organising Committee told the newspaper that it is in talks with other operators, and a spokesman added, "We are confident we will find a solution."

We have asked O2 to comment on the report and explain whether the accusation that other mobile providers will be locked out of the corporate zones is correct. µ