I'd expect not closer until the early 2008 european launch. I expect they're a)using the american market as a test market to examine the functionality of the iPhone, since american users are not as accustomed to having the best new phones available constantly, b) they are probably still arranging distribution channels through their various european divisions, and c) if I had to guess, I would guess Orange for the carrier, based on how popular it tends to be in my experience. But I base that on absolutely nothing useful.