Orange partners with restaurant chain EAT to promote NFC services (UK)
Mobile network operator Orange has entered into a partnership with EAT, a restaurant chain, in order to promote its Near Field Communications (NFC) service. According to reports, the agreement will enable users with NFC compatible mobile devices to avail a free treat every day by tapping their phone on the restaurants posters.
The campaign is designed to promote the operator’s new contactless payment service in UK. As per reports, Pippa Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer, Orange, has said that last year they started a whole new movement in the way consumers make payments on the high street, and with Quick Tap Treats, they are continuing this with a new and innovative way for their customers to receive rewards for their loyalty.
Orange to offer new iPad on March 16 (France)
Orange today announced that it will offer the new iPad in France on Friday, March 16.
The third generation iPad is a category defining mobile device that features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. It also still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life while remaining amazingly thin and light.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, executive director, Orange France, said that Orange offers iPad customers the largest mobile network in mainland France. With the most extensive and best mobile broadband coverage in France, Orange customers will be able to make full use of the amazing capabilities of the new iPad on the move.
Customers can buy the new iPad at orange.fr and in selected Orange retail stores beginning Friday, March 16.
Orange launches several initiatives for cost-effective roaming experience (France, Spain)
Mobile operator Orange has announced a series of new roaming initiatives aimed at delivering a simpler, more transparent and cost-effective roaming experience for customers. The initiatives include a new combined voice, SMS and mobile data roaming offer, a new roaming app and a roaming cap and text alert when roaming outside the EU. These initiatives are underpinned by a new Orange Travel ‘Customer Experience Charter’, laying down its commitment to customers to deliver transparency, responsive customer support and reliable networks when roaming. The initiatives will cover Orange’s key European markets and will be implemented throughout 2012.
Orange’s latest ‘combined’ roaming bundle sees a new type of offer in the market, incorporating voice, SMS and data into one affordable and easy to understand tariff. The offers will be available on a daily, weekly or even 30-day basis, tailored to each market. The offers, available in Spain, Belgium and Romania will be extended to other markets in 2012 including France, the UK and Poland. For example, in France customers will be able to purchase a bundle that includes 10 minutes of voice, 10 SMS’s and 10 MB for approximately US$ 5 to US$ 7 daily, from June onwards.
The launch of a new roaming app, the Orange Travel App, will help customers track their data usage when travelling abroad more easily than ever before. Downloadable from the Orange App shop or Android Market, customers will be able to easily monitor, in real-time, their data and SMS roaming traffic. Customers will be able to check how many megabytes and SMS’s they have sent and received in total, per country and per trip. Customers can then compare this, seamlessly, within the app, to their local tariff plans to ensure that they are within their limits. The app, already well-received in France with over 15,000 downloads since June, will be extended to a further six of Orange’s European markets in 2012, including the UK, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.
Orange is also introducing a ‘rest of world’ alert and cap for data usage to protect customers from receiving unexpected bills when travelling outside of the EU. The level of the alert and cap will be set for each market. As customers approach their limit, they will be sent an alert by SMS. Customers can then choose via SMS to purchase an additional bundle or be cut off when they hit their limit. The ‘rest of world’ alert and cap will be available across eight of Orange’s European markets eventually. It is available in Poland, Belgium and France today, and will be introduced in the UK, Spain, Romania and Slovakia in 2012.
Vincent Brunet, Executive Vice President, Consumer Mobile Services, commented that the launch of today’s initiatives are testimony to their continued commitment to deliver a great roaming experience that is open to all. With more and more customers choosing smartphones and tablets, they are cognisant of both the opportunities and risks that such devices deliver in a roaming context. 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. Further, they are confident that customers can roam freely without concern to reap all the benefits that the smartphone and tablet revolution provides.
The Orange Travel ‘Customer Experience Charter’ will serve as a set of guiding principles that each of Orange’s European markets will use in the execution of their roaming services, whether that be the delivery of a new roaming tariff or a communication campaign. The principles extend to ensuring transparency at all times, as well as delivering responsive customer support and guaranteeing reliable networks when roaming.
The new initiatives are part of the Orange Travel portfolio of roaming services, providing a broad range of attractive roaming offers to respond to the varying needs of customers from consumer customers to big business. Orange’s segmented approach ensures that customers get the best solution for their needs. Orange has over 25 million Orange Travel customers at the end of 2011, adding over one million new customers in 2011.
Everything Everywhere works towards a 4G future (UK)
Everything Everywhere, the UK’s biggest communications company, has unveiled significant progress in its network integration and evolution and outlined the path toward the roll out of 4G LTE.
According to a report by the company, the roll out of a nationwide HSPA+ (3.5G) network – the latest milestone in the company’s network evolution project – will provide 50 per cent faster data speeds for T-Mobile and Orange mobile broadband customers. In addition, further trials of 4G technology across the country will continue to lay the foundation for a new digital backbone for Britain.
The announcements underline Everything Everywhere’s commitment to building a world class network for consumers and businesses across the UK.
As per the report, Olaf Swantee, CEO, Everything Everywhere, said that their vision is to launch 4G for Britain as soon as possible, and the roll out of 3.5G HSPA+ and our 4G trials across Britain are major steps towards delivering on that promise.
Further, the integration of the Orange and T-Mobile networks has already given their customers the widest 3G coverage in the UK – and their advanced HSPA+ roll out they will also benefit from the fastest.
He added that, subject to regulatory approval by the spring, Everything Everywhere will be in a position to begin the roll out of 4G before the end of the year. There is a great opportunity for the UK to have the 21st Century network that it so deserves, putting the nation on a level playing field with other parts of Europe, the USA and Asia.
Orange responds to impact of Free Mobile’s launch (Europe)
Mobile operator Orange has reacted to the impact of Free Mobile’s launch stating that in the first 48 hours following 10 January 2012, Orange recorded a substantial increase in RIO requests, (the identity codes required to request mobile number). These peaked at over 150,000 requests in a single day during this initial period but have now decreased tenfold.
As at 15 February 2012, the Orange mobile subscriber base had declined by 201,000 subscribers, representing around 0.7 per cent of its total mobile customer base in France, which, at 31 December 2011, had reached just over 27 million subscribers.
Orange’s early commercial counter-attack enabled it to respond rapidly by adapting tariffs for its low-cost brand Sosh, launched in September for this purpose, and by adjusting the Orange Open quadruple play offer. The new tariffs for Sosh respond to the new market environment, with three commitment-free SIM only offers from US$ 1.2 (2 hours voice, unlimited SMS / MMS / WiFi) to US$ 33 (100 per cent unlimited).
As per the company statement, they helped accelerate the acquisition of new customers and had attracted a total of 90,000 Sosh subscribers as at 15 February 2012. In parallel, the Orange Open range was enriched and reached a total of 1.4 million subscribers as at 15 February 2012. Finally, the Origami range also contributed a significant share of new additions over the period.
Lastly, ever pragmatic, Orange signed a 2G and 3G roaming contract with Free mobile last March. This contract will generate additional revenue for the Group linked to the volume of traffic that, at the time of signing, was estimated to represent US$ 1.3 billion over a six-year period. The traffic generated by Free mobile subscribers could be substantially higher than expected without this having a negative impact on the quality of service for Orange customers.
France Telecom may increase stake in Mobinil (Egypt, Europe)
Telecommunications company France Telecom is reportedly discussing plans to increase its stake in Mobinil, a joint venture between France Telecom and Orascom Telecom Media and Technology by purchasing a part of Naguib Sawiris’s holding.
The increased holding will enable France Telecom to enhance its presence in Egypt as well as counter its declining profit margins in its home market.
According to reports, France Telecom currently owns about 71 per cent of Mobinil Telecom Co., the holding company that controls 51 per cent of Mobinil; while Orascom Telecom Media & Technology controls 29 per cent of the holding company as well as a 20 percent stake in Mobinil.
Orange to offer free Wikipedia access in Africa and the Middle East (Europe, Africa, Middle East)
Telecommunications operator Orange has entered into an agreement with the Wikimedia Foundation to provide over 70 million Orange customers in Africa and the Middle East (AMEA) with mobile access to Wikipedia, without incurring data usage charges.
The move comes in an attempt to make knowledge more easily available to Orange mobile customers, in both remote and urban areas, throughout Africa and the Middle East. According to a company report, this new partnership will be gradually launched throughout 2012 across 20 African and Middle Eastern countries where Orange operates, with the first markets launching early in the year. The initiative is part of the Wikimedia Foundation’s mobile strategy that aims to reach the billions of people around the world who access the internet solely through mobile devices.
The report reveals that any customer with an Orange SIM and mobile internet enabled phone will be able to access the Wikipedia site either through their browser or an Orange widget. They can access the Wikipedia encyclopaedia services for as many times as they like at no extra charge as long as they stay within Wikipedia’s pages.
Sue Gardner, Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation said that Wikipedia is an important service, a public good, and so they want people to be able to access it for free, regardless of what device they’re using. Further, this partnership with Orange will enable millions of people to read Wikipedia, who previously couldn’t.
Marc Rennard, Group Executive Vice President of Orange, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia, commented, in countries where access to information is not always readily available, they are making it simple and easy for our customers to use the world’s most comprehensive online encyclopaedia. It is the first partnership of this kind in the world where they are enabling customers to access Wikipedia without incurring any data charges; and shows Orange’s ability, once again, to innovate in Africa and the Middle East, and bring more value to their customers.
Bharti Airtel contemplates mobile service launch in South Africa and Cameroon (Africa)
India’s leading telecommunications operator Bharti Airtel may be planning to expand its network in South Africa and Cameroon, as learned through industry sources. Airtel is a dominant player in the mobile industry with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa.
Mobile penetration has steadily been increasing in African countries, and with most of the global markets being saturated, emerging markets such as Africa provide mobile operators with new opportunities to increase their subscriber base and enhance their revenue.
Currently Airtel offers services in Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Madagascar, Niger, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. By adding South Africa and Cameroon, two of Africa’s fastest growing mobile economies to the list, Airtel aims to strengthen its position in Africa.
Airtel is the leading mobile operator in India and is well known for its innovative and competitive tariff pricing. The operator’s entry into these new markets is expected to take the mobile industry by storm and introduce an unprecedented level of competition.
Airtel presently offers services in 15 cities in India and with the population of one Indian city being similar to that of one African country, South Africa and Cameroon have the potential to be extremely lucrative for Bharti Airtel.
Further, sources claim that rival operators currently offering services in these economies such as MTN, Vodacom and Orange are already working on strategies to maintain their market share and offer stiff competition to Airtel.
