All five UK mobile networks are in talks to offer Google’s new Nexus One device, according to The Independent today. Vodafone was the first operator to announce it had sealed a deal to offer the device at an official launch at Google’s Mountain View headquarters in California on Tuesday; while no official launch date has been set, Vodafone is reportedly preparing to unveil the device at next month’s GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. However, all four of Vodafone’s UK rivals are also eyeing launches. A T-Mobile UK spokeswoman said the company “expects to make an announcement in the next few weeks,” while O2, Orange and 3 also hinted that talks with Google were ongoing. “It looks like Vodafone will lead with it, but everyone has held talks about it,” said a source. “It’s not like the iPhone, Google wants this in as many hands as possible.”

None of the UK operators will offer the phone in their own shops as Google is selling it exclusively online, with customers selecting which operator they want to support the device. This is a move by Google to increase ad revenues, said the source: “The more clicks on its website, the more it can charge for advertising, whether via computer or mobile.” The Nexus One – Google’s first own-branded phone – is a touchscreen smartphone based on Google’s own Android 2.1 operating system; it is manufactured by Taiwan’s HTC and powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset. T-Mobile USA is the first operator to offer the device, which will cost US$179 on a two year contract. However, it can also be bought ‘unlocked’ from the Google web store for US$529.