Orange Armenia offers unique roaming discount in USA (Armenia, USA)
Telecom operator Orange has reshuffled the list of Orange Zone countries which will from now on include the USA. Now, while roaming on AT&T USA network, Orange customers can enjoy a unique $0.64 rate for all outgoing and incoming calls, SMS and GPRS. This is great news for those who travel to the USA.
The same tariff is available for other Orange Zone countries where customers can join the following networks: Orange France, Orange Spain, Orange United Kingdom, Orange Slovakia, Orange Austria, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Moldova, Orange Luxembourg, Orange Liechtenstein, Orange Switzerland as well as Mobistar Belgium.
To activate roaming customers just need to dial *121# before leaving the country.
Orange to launch new roaming app next month (France)
Mobile operator Orange France is looking to launch the Orange Travel App that will allow owners of Android, iOS and BlackBerry devices to track their data usage and SMS details in real-time, as per a report by Mobile Magazine. They can then compare this within the app to their local tariff plans to ensure they have not exceeded their allowances. The app was launched in France last year and has already attracted more than 15,000 downloads.
The report reveals that the app was initially looking at a summer launch but with might be released as early as next month. The roaming bundle will offer daily, weekly or monthly tariffs incorporating voice, SMS and data. For example, customers travelling in France will be able to buy a bundle that includes 10 minutes of voice, 10 SMSes and 10MB of data for around $6.5 per day from June onwards
When the services were first launched outside of the UK, Orange said it was to counteract the risks of high roaming charges. Orange executive VP for consumer mobile services Vincent Brunet said that by putting in further safety nets, they are helping customers to manage their consumption while they continue to introduce competitive offers that respond to their customers growing needs.
As per the report, Orange also plans to roll out a ‘rest of world’ alert and cap for customers travelling outside of the European Union. As customers approach their data limit, they will receive an SMS alert and can then choose to purchase more data or be cut off when the limit is reached.
Free Mobile causes rival operators to rethink price plans (France)
Free Mobile, a unit of telecom provider Iliad, has sent the French mobile market in frenzy owing to its reduced tariff plans. According to reports, subscribers have been actively availing the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) service in a bid to switch to Free Mobile, after paying high prices for mobile services.
Earlier in the year, Xavier Niel, founder, Free Mobile had warned rivals that he will reduce subscriber’s mobile bills by 50 per cent, by launching an aggressive pricing strategy that would liberate consumers. Niel said that up until now subscribers have been cash cows. He added that consumers can either call their current operator and ask for the same price or switch to Free Mobile.
As per sources, Free Mobile is offering its subscribers a US$ 26.50 price plan which includes unlimited calls, text messaging, free international calls to 40 countries across Europe and North America along with mobile data up to 3GB. The only price plan remotely competitive to Free Mobile’s plan is ‘Sosh’ by Orange which offers the subscribers similar features for a price of US$ 66.
The number for MNP requests to switch to Free Mobile has been overwhelming, causing rival operators, Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom, to rethink their strategies so as to maintain their market share. Sources claim that mobile operators are looking to introduce discounted tariff plans in order to counter Free Mobile’s prices.
Reports reveal that the carrier added over 1 million subscribers in the month of January alone, with over 50 per cent of the subscribers coming in from rival carriers.
Speculations have been raised regarding Free Mobile’s ability to sustain its business in the French market by industry analysts over a long period of time. However, consumers have been rejoicing at availing mobile services at such a discounted rate.
France raises US$ 3.45 billion in 4G mobile licence auction (Europe)
Mobile operators Bouygues Telecom, Orange France and SFR were successful in winning 4G mobile licences in the 800 MHz band. According to reports, the Government of France was able to raise US$ 3.45 billion through this second round of auction.
The country’s telecommunications regulatory authority, ARCEP, is hopeful that these licences will help improve the competition in the wireless industry. Sources claim that both Orange and Bouyges Telecom were awarded one frequency block each for US$ 1.16 billion and 890.3 million respectively. SFR was the only operator successful in acquiring two frequency blocks for US$ 1.4 billion.
Telecom operator Free Mobile was unable to acquire a licence, but reports reveal that the operator will be able to offer services on SFR’s network under certain conditions.
Orange France upgrades network for business consumers (France)
Mobile operator Orange France has reportedly upgraded its mobile network enabling speeds up to 42 Mbps in nine cities. According to reports, the operator claims that its coverage area includes the regions of Paris, Grenoble, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseile, Nantes, Nice and Toulon. Further, sources claim that the operator hopes to increase its population coverage from 50 percent to 60 percent by providing Bordeaux, Toulouse and Strasbourg with the upgraded network by 2013.
As per reports, the operator’s Business Everywhere Premier subscribers would automatically be upgraded to the faster download speeds, with the upload speed being increased to 5.8 Mbps. Further, the Business Everywhere customers who currently have access to a download speed of 14.4 Mbps and an upload speed of 2 Mbps will be required to pay an additional charge of US$ 5.3 per month to gain access to the upgraded service.
ZTE sold 2 mn phones in 2010 (France)
ZTE reportedly sold 2 million handsets in France 2010, doubling its year-earlier volume, and is expected to sell 3 million units this year.
The company currently has a slightly over 5% share of the French mobile phone market. It sells the Link and Blade smartphones and 3G dongles through mobile operator Bouygues Telecom, while the two bigger mobile networks, Orange France and SFR, put their own brands on ZTE-manufactured devices.
ZTE is also going to launch new smartphones in May and a light 3G tablet after the summer. Orange is also testing a new customer box from ZTE. The Chinese company would like to develop its network equipment business in Europe, where its rival Huawei has succeeded in gaining a foothold.
ZTE, which does provide network equipment to France Telecom, but only for overseas territories, has two research centres in Europe. One in Paris works on value added services and one in Stockholm focuses on radio access technologies. ZTE has signed 15 LTE contracts around the world and its regional director for Western Europe, Lin Cheng, anticipates the China’s TDD technology will spread in Europe for LTE, notably because it can support more mobile traffic than FDD at the same cost.
Orange France launches Net Plus plans
Orange has organized a flash sale during from March 24 to March 26.. During these three days, the company will receive any subscription special discount for 6 months. It will promote the subscription of its “Net Plus”, “Net Plus Cle 3G+” and “Net Plus Musique” services.
Net Plus, promoted at US$28.06 a month for the first six months, before rising to its standard price of US$52.17 a month for the rest of the one-year contract, includes up to 20 Mbps internet, TV, unlimited calls to fixed phones in France and over 100 international destinations, and 1 hour of calls to French mobile numbers.
Net Plus Cle 3G+, promoted at US$28.06 a month for the first two months and US$25.11 for the next four months before rising to the standard price of US$59.22, offers the same services as Net Plus as well as a 3G+ dongle for US$1.4 and 2 hours of mobile internet use. Net Plus Musique, which costs the same as Net Pus Cle 3G+, includes access to the Deezer Premium music streaming service.
ARCEP releases accuracy audit of GSM coverage maps (France)
French telecommunications regulator ARCEP has released the results of its 2010 audits to verify the accuracy of GSM coverage maps published by mobile network operators Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom.
Field surveys have been used each year since operators began publishing coverage maps in 2007. Arcep found a 98% level of accuracy in last year’s maps and explained that 100% accuracy is very difficult to achieve, notably due to uncontrollable variations in radio propagation. Last year the figure was 96%.
The tests require an at least 95% success rate in making and maintaining a call from a fixed position with a standard handset for 1 minute.
The regulator found that although the reliability of the maps is generally good at the national level, it still needs to be improved in certain municipalities, and has reminded operators of the need to correct the published maps. Audits to be performed in by the end of October will include 286 new municipalities.
M6 Mobile registers 1.9 million subscribers (France)
French mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) M6 Mobile, which operates under a licensing agreement with Orange France, M D Ronan Dubois has announced that it has signed up a total of 1.9 million subscribers.
According to reports, a vast proportion of M6 Mobile’s customers currently opt for capped plans starting at US$25.92 per month, which does not allow for high-end smartphones to be subsidized at the same level as by mobile network operators.
Orange France hit by SMS bug on New Year’s Eve
Several hundred subscribers to Orange France were reportedly hit by a software bug at the network which resulted in their New Year’s Eve SMS and MMS’s being delivered multiple times.
Some customers reported that recipients had complained of receiving up to 130 messages from the same sender.
Orange France blamed a network operator failure for the bug, saying it affected only a few hundred people. Customers complained that the problem had led to them being charged hundreds of Euros extra; although the company has confirmed that the senders would not be charged for the multiple deliveries.
