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 Romania offers transport service payment via SMS (Romania)
Orange Romania customers can now pay RATB subscription valid for one day and SMS to 7456, and the price is $2.3 per SMS. Payment may be made from any mobile phone. To purchase subscriptions for one day all-lines of transportation, customers send an SMS with the text “A” in 7456 and will immediately receive a code confirming the transaction.
Code received will be kept on the phone all day long, until the expiry of the subscription. SMS payment system for public transport travel surface was implemented for the first time in Alba Iulia since December 2010.
Since January, Orange Romania, in partnership with Metrorex launched payment system and access to rail transport by using the number 1700. Also, Orange customers can pay via SMS, landscaped parking area at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest and Bistrita city, Oradea, Resita, Satu Mare, Timisoara Tirgu Mures.
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.
Beeline launches new ‘Super Zero’ plan (Tajikistan)
Mobile operator Beeline has launched a new tariff plan for all calls made within the network. As per the company the monthly fee for this tariff plan is $ 8 for subscribers to connect to and within the territory of Sogd, Badakhshan, and $ 10 for subscribers of other areas of the Republic of Tajikistan.
The plan offers users 1500 minutes of usage for calls made within the network along with 1500 SMS to be sent within the network, with a validity of 30 days. The plan also includes 100 MB of GPRS data. For users using this plan all incoming calls remain free while outgoing calls made to the Republic of Tajikistan are charged at $0.06 per minute.
Orange launches several initiatives for cost-effective roaming experience (France, Spain)
Mobile operator Orange has announced a series of new roaming initiatives aimed at delivering a simpler, more transparent and cost-effective roaming experience for customers. The initiatives include a new combined voice, SMS and mobile data roaming offer, a new roaming app and a roaming cap and text alert when roaming outside the EU. These initiatives are underpinned by a new Orange Travel ‘Customer Experience Charter’, laying down its commitment to customers to deliver transparency, responsive customer support and reliable networks when roaming. The initiatives will cover Orange’s key European markets and will be implemented throughout 2012.
Orange’s latest ‘combined’ roaming bundle sees a new type of offer in the market, incorporating voice, SMS and data into one affordable and easy to understand tariff. The offers will be available on a daily, weekly or even 30-day basis, tailored to each market. The offers, available in Spain, Belgium and Romania will be extended to other markets in 2012 including France, the UK and Poland. For example, in France customers will be able to purchase a bundle that includes 10 minutes of voice, 10 SMS’s and 10 MB for approximately US$ 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.
Globe signs network modernization deal with Huawei (Philippines, China)
Globe Telecom has signed a deal with Huawei, a leading global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider, for a US$ 700 million mobile network modernization program to be rolled out within the next five years, across the nation. According to company reports, Alcatel-Lucent will manage the project.
As per the company, the network modernization includes an all-IP infrastructure, pervasive 3D coverage, double fiber optics capacity, 4D and LTE readiness, along with overall quality and resiliency. Further, at least $570 million of the total amount is expected to be spent this year and in 2013.
Globe aims to offer customers a robust network that can provide unparalleled customer experience that will set the company apart from other competitors. Further, the new Globe network and IT system is expected to not only address current customer needs, but also provide additional capacity for more sophisticated use of mobile and broadband technologies.
The updated network will offer improved call quality under pervasive 3G coverage, rare dropped calls, and instantaneous SMS delivery as well as fast Internet access.
NTC slashes interconnection charges for text messages (Phillipines)
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has cut down the interconnection charges for short messaging service (SMS) among telecom operators, in an attempt to provide users with more affordable rates for sending text messages. According to reports, the regulatory authority has ordered that the interconnection charge for SMS between two separate telecommunications networks should not exceed $0.003 (15 centavos) per SMS through its Memorandum Circular No. 02-10-2011. Consequently, the new rates will come down by $0.005 (20 centavos) from $0.008 (35 centavos).
As per sources, Gamaliel Cordoba, NTC Commissioner has said that the enactment of the new SMS interconnection rates was in line was in line with the provisions of the Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines, which seeks the establishment of fair and reasonable interconnection among public operators and other telecommunications service providers at reasonable and fair cost. He further said that the reduced SMS interconnection rate would translate to lower retail price of text messaging services and make the popular telecommunication services more accessible and affordable to a greater number of people throughout the country. Currently, telecom operators charge a rate of $0.002 (10 centavos) per text message within their network, however the rates for messages sent across different operators increase with the additional cost of the network receiving the text message along with the interconnection charge of $0.008 (35 centavos) per message.
Further, under the same circular, network operators were also ordered to ensure that they have the adequate facilities required to guarantee that 99 percent of the text messages reach their destination within 30 seconds of being sent. In order to achieve this, it is proposed that all networks involved in the interconnection should provide the required links or circuits to effectively handle their SMS traffic.
