The net addition to the mobile network of one of the leading mobile network operators and mobile phone carriers in the United Kingdom, O2 in quarter one of this year has been reported to have taken a beating. This was revealed by the operator in its first quater's results.

To be preciser, the net additions of mobile customers to the network of O2 has reportedly fallen from 254,000 in the fourth quarter last year to 75,000 in the first quarter this year.

These figures reflect the lowest net additions of the mobile phone network, since the launch of the Apple iPhone smartphone in 2007 July.

In the second quarter of 2010, 307,000 fresh customers were added by the mobile phone operator to its network. This had fallen to 236,000 in the third quarter of 2010 as the downward trend has been found to be continuing at the same rate in the first quarter of 2011.

According to sources the customer base of the O2 mobile phone network has been eroding slowley since its competitor networks' adding Apple iPhone to their portfolio as well from 2009.

The fall was attributed by O2 to a strategy change. O2 added that it had consciously came to a decision that it would no more be chasing volumes as the market was seeing limited value.