Shaw Wu has written in a report that Vodaphone is very close to closing a deal with Apple to become the carrier for the iPhone in Europe.

“Our sources indicate that Vodafone is most likely iPhone’s carrier partner for Europe,” analyst Shaw Wu. “We believe Vodafone’s 200 million subscriber base (compared to 61 million for AT&T, its USA partner), broad country coverage, and investment in advanced technologies make it a strong fit for Apple.”

Apple has openly stated that it wishes to have the iPhone in Europe by the fourth calendar quarter of the year.