Vodafone on Monday announced that Google's Nexus One smartphone will go on sale to its U.K. customers on 30 April.

The Android handset will be available free to customers who order it online on a two-year, £35 monthly contract. Price plans start from £25 per month on a 24-month deal, while 18-month contracts will also be on offer.

Vodafone said each tariff includes 1 GB of mobile data usage.

The HTC-made Nexus One in January became the first Android-powered device to go on sale, SIM-free, direct from Google; the phone is also offered by T-Mobile USA in the U.S. At the same time, Vodafone was revealed as Google's first European operator partner, although rival operators T-Mobile and 3UK said that they were also in talks with Google to sell the Nexus One. For now though, Vodafone remains the only player in Europe to offer the handset through its own channels.

Google said in a recent blog post that Vodafone will soon begin selling the Nexus One in France on SFR's network, as well as in Germany, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands.

Despite the Nexus One's high-end specification, the handset's image was blighted early on by widely-reported technical issues.

Indeed, soon after the Nexus One made its U.S. debut, Google was accused of not providing adequate customer support, after initial user complaints about connection issues relating to T-Mobile USA's 3G network were met with an automated email, rather than a personal response.

Vodafone said in a statement on Tuesday it will be providing "direct support to [Nexus One] customers" when they need it.

Meanwhile back in the U.S., it would appear the Nexus One will likely remain a UMTS-only device for the time being, after Google's online phone store began recommending that Verizon Wireless customers pre-order the Android-powered, and CDMA-compatible HTC Incredible, rather its own-branded smartphone.

Google said the "similarly feature-packed cousin of the Nexus One" will go on sale on 29 April.