According to a report on guardian.co.uk, O2 got the nod for the Palm Pre, which will cement its position as the U.K.'s largest mobile phone network.

The long-awaited Palm Pre, which launched in the U.S. on June 6, is seen as the most viable alternative to Apple's new iPhone 3G S. In the states, the Pre is exclusively tied to Sprint's wireless network.

The Pre smartphone hit stores just two days before Apple pulled the curtain off the iPhone 3G S, sparking a new clash of the touch-screen titans. While Apple went on to sell more than 1 million iPhone 3G S smartphones in the device's first weekend on the market, analysts are also reporting that the Palm Pre is exceeding sales expectations.

In a report this week, Charter Equity Research wrote that the Palm Pre sold more than 300,000 units in June, much higher than initial expectations.

O2 bringing the Palm Pre to the U.K. will be a boon for the carrier, which also has an exclusive agreement to sell the Apple iPhone in the U.K. Like with the iPhone, O2 beat out Orange at the last second to be the Pre's exclusive carrier.