Using the iPhone as a modem

Question

I am a current O2 customer in the UK and I have used various Nokia phones (and IR & bluetooth) to connect an iPaq and various laptops to a mainframe computer (ie. a modem on the end of a standard UK landline phone number).
At times I had to wrestle with O2 customer support to sort out the "modem" capability and it became apparent this ability was a configuration on my O2 account (I swapped between Orange and O2) in addition to the phones ability.
Most of the discussion here seems to be generated by US AT&T customers where it seems AT&T dont allow this sort of customer usage. O2 do.
So the million dollar question is, will we be able to use the iPhone as a modem in the UK to access other computers, with handhelds & laptops?
Cheers
Eric

Answer 1

for what it is worth, I asked O2 that question as for me it will be the deciding factor in whether I buy one or not. Their response (the relevant bit) is pasted below and is very non-committal as to whether they are not allowed to say or simply don't know.
+Thank you for emailing us to find out if the iPhone can be used as a modem.+
+I'm unable to tell you if you the iPhone can be used as a modem. For full detail on the iPhone, please visit the manufacturers website by clicking on the link below:+
+http://www.apple.com/iphone/+
So come on Apple, you have a technically near-perfect product, an eager customer base willing to cough up their money for your product rather than a competitors at a moment's notice and a complete lack of information from or interest on your part in providing the last little function of what your customers need! Even if the connection is only EDGE speed rather than broadband, for those of us who use your laptop products as a necessity on the road, it at least provides a way of connecting our laptops to the net to access functions the iPhone really can't do (such as databases and SOA access) and really wouldn't want it to.
Put everyone out of their misery and open up with the information we need and open up the iPhone to what it really can do.
Scott...