O2 saw customer levels increase threefold over the weekend, as "tens of thousands" of people "flocked" to its shops to buy Apple's iPhone, the company's CEO, Peter Erskine, has said.

More importantly for O2's coffers, it seems two-thirds of those "flocking" to stores were new customers, switching to the O2 network from rivals, or getting a contract for the first time, all for the sake of Apple's mobile.

Erskine said that O2 had sold more iPhones than Carphone Warehouse shops (the official retail partner) over the weekend, although these figures were not revealed.

"The interest level has been absolutely phenomenal, making it the biggest selling phone ever for us, in one weekend", said Erskine. "Footfall was three times higher than the same weekend last year", said Erskine.

No more specific information, or figures, have been announced, but Erskine said the final figure sold was "inline with expectations".

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