The prominent mobile phone carrier operating in the United Kingdom, O2 has reported greater sales growth in the United Kingdom with an increased number of customers having upgraded to smartphones that boast of mobile broadband access.

The revenues of O2 in the United Kingdom rose to 9 per cent in the last quarter of 2010 as the provider sold more smartphones such as Blackberry Torch, and Apple iPhone to benefit from boosted mobile internet use.

Data caps were also introduced by O2 at the start of 2010 October which means that the customers will be forved to pay if they exceeded the download limits, as part of the provider's plans to making more profits out of mobile broadband downloads.

The revenue rise in quarter four had followed increases of 8.5 per cent and 6 per cent in quarter three and quater two respectively. The customer numbers in the United Kingdom rose by 4.3 per cent to 22.2 million in 2010 with 7 out of 10 fresh contracts accounted by smartphones.

Ronan Dunne, the chief exceutive of O2 UK had said last year that the firm was pumping every day GBP 1 million into boosting its network for mobile broadband use as it sought to achieve a greater share of this growing section of the market.