Vodafone could be Palm’s official carrier partner for the Palm Pre in the UK, according to the latest rumors.  While unconfirmed by either the carrier or Palm themselves, a member of Vodafone’s customer service team has revealed that they are “in early negotiation” regarding the Pre, although “nothing is solid”.  The device in question could be the first GSM 3G HSPA Pre available, given that Sprint’s version of the smartphone uses CDMA EV-DO Rev.A.

“With regrets, I can not currently share any information regarding the Palm Pre handset; we are still in early negotiation with Palm, but nothing is solid. I can double check next week but as of this point in time that is all I know” Vodafone customer services comment

The comment, made to PalmPreBlog, followed multiple denials from customer services that Vodafone was aware of any plans to support the Pre in the UK.  It also follows a comment from Vodafone’s UK forum, suggesting that the carrier would be advertising the Pre soon:

“That phone does look awesome, we were taking a look at this in the office the other day a few of us have our eye on it, I would keep your eyes peeled on the coming soon section here at our online shop.

Thanks

Matt
eForum Team”

It’s unclear at present what sort of timescale any Vodafone/Palm announcement may be following, or indeed how long after such an announcement the Pre itself might launch.  Also unknown is whether Palm are seeking a sole carrier partner for the launch of the device, as in the US, or whether it will be generally available across UK networks.  Vodafone rival O2 is the UK partner for Apple, and the only carrier from which the iPhone 3G can be officially bought, so it makes sense for Vodafone to attempt to pick up the newcomer to the smartphone crowd.