Pocket-lint has just received an invite to an Apple press conference at the Regent Street Apple Store on Tuesday 18th September.

Although no information has been provided by Apple to confirm this, it’s expected this event will be held in order to announce the launch of the iPhone in the UK, and which UK operator will get the contract, hotly tipped to be O2.

The accompanying info states only “Mum is no longer the word” presumably referring to the fact that Apple are about to break the silence about the deal.

Earlier it was revealed that O2’s chief exec Peter Erskine had openly discussed Apple’s revenue sharing partnership structure and stated: “We’ll be happy to share that pie” in the context of a theoretical partnership.

But, with the iPhone unlock now available free online, meaning anyone can now buy the Apple device and use it on any network, it’s speculated that the iPhone exclusive might not be the hot ticket it was once thought to be.