Orange SA
Encyclopedia
Orange is the brand used by France Télécom
for its mobile network operator
and Internet service provider
subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom
's UK mobile phone network, which was acquired by France Télécom in August 2000. In 2006, the company's ISP operations, previously Wanadoo
, were also rebranded Orange. Orange is now the unique commercial façade of almost all France Telecom services. Orange France was incorporated in 2005 and has its headquarters in Arcueil
, France.
The Orange brand is used in Israel by Partner Communications through franchise (see Orange Israel), and it was franchised in Australia, India (until 2006) and Hong Kong in the past. It had a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand
in Thailand until 2005.
As of 31 December 2007 France Telecom serves more than 170 million customers in five continents, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The group had consolidated sales of € 52.9 billion in 2007. As of 31 December 2007 the group had 109.7 million mobile customers and 11.7 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.
Orange also belongs to the FreeMove
mobile phone alliance.
, Millicom
and French company Matra
(British Aerospace soon acquired full control of the company). In 1991 Microtel was awarded a license to develop a mobile network in the UK, and in July 1991 Hutchison Telecommunications (UK) Ltd acquired Microtel from BAe. BAe was paid in Hutchison Telecommunications (UK) Ltd. shares, giving the company a 30% share. Hutchison Whampoa held 65% and Barclays Bank the remaining 5%. Microtel was renamed Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd. in 1994. The Orange brand was created by an internal team at Microtel headed by Chris Moss (Marketing Director) and supported by Martin Keogh, Rob Furness and Ian Pond. The brand consultancy Wolff Olins
was charged with designing the brand values and logo and advertising agency WCRS created the Orange slogan "The Future's bright, the Future's Orange" along with the now famous advertising. It was also important to establish it as the colour Orange, which is seen as a strong Feng Shui colour. The Orange network was launched on 28 April 1994.
Orange plc was formed in 1995 as a holding company for the Orange group. France Telecom
formed the present company in 2001 after acquiring Orange plc (which had been acquired by Mannesmann AG, itself purchased by Vodafone
shortly after, leading Vodafone to divest Orange) and merging its existing mobile operations into the company. The company was initially 100% owned by France Telecom (although there were and still remain minority investors in some of the national operating companies). In 2001 15% was sold in an IPO
, but in 2003 the outstanding shares were bought back by France Telecom.
in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Kenya
, Equatorial Guinea
, Senegal
, Guinea
, Mali
, Romania
, Slovakia
and Switzerland. France Telecom also operates as an ISP in Poland through its stake in Telekomunikacja Polska, which is now being co-branded as Orange. It is currently the largest ISP in Europe with over ten million subscribers (including those of Telekomunikacja Polska), largely concentrated in France, the UK, Spain and Poland, and was originally known as Wanadoo
.
Wanadoo was floated on the stock market on 18 July 2000. In 2000, Wanadoo also took over the major British ISP Freeserve
, which had previously been part of the Dixons Group (now Dixons Retail plc). Following the buy-out, Freeserve maintained its own branding for a while before finally changing to the Wanadoo name on 28 April 2004.
However, the name Wanadoo changed to Orange on 1 June 2006 to simplify branding by the common parent company, France Telecom
. This merging of companies has created a single brand offering mobile telecommunications and internet services.
announced that its ISP Wanadoo
and business service Equant
would both be renamed Orange in 2006 to harmonize branding. In July 2005, France Telecom announced its intention to acquire 80% of the Spanish mobile phone operator Amena
, a deal that was completed in November 2005. Amena
was also rebranded to Orange with Wanadoo
in Spain and Uni2, a fixed line provider, to complete a "triple play
".
At the beginning of 2006, Orange in Slovakia started providing triple-play services via FTTH under the name "Orange Homebox".
On 27 September 2007, T-Mobile Netherlands
bought Orange Netherlands from France Telecom
and split the two segments. Mobile telephony was integrated with T-Mobile, broadband is now provided by a subsidiary called Online. The European Commission
had already approved the acquisition as it was not seen as a danger to competition.
In 2008 Orange was given permission from Apple to sell the iPhone
in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Orange's African markets.
On January 1, 2009, the Swiss multimedia shops company CityDisc
is officially property of the France Telecom Group and becomes Orange CityDisc, the first hybrid shops in Europe to sell not only cellphones and accessories but also music, films and videogames.
On April 5, 2009, France Telecom (Orange) won an Arbitration Court case against Orascom Telecom, condemning OT to transfer its entire stake in Mobinil to FT at a price of E£441,658 per Mobinil share.
On September 8, 2009, Orange and T-Mobile
parent Deutsche Telekom
announced they were in advanced talks to merge their UK operations to create the largest mobile operator with 37% of the market. It is unclear the future of either brand when such deal is completed in November.
In September 2009, Orange was the first to declare that they would be selling the iPhone
in the UK once O2's exclusivity had ended. Vodafone
announced that they too would be selling the iPhone in the UK. This however would be in early 2010, whereas Orange would start selling the iPhone at the end of 2009.
On October 28, 2009, Orange changed the name of its Luxembourgish telco VOXMobile to Orange.
On December 11, 2009, Egypt's regulator has approved an offer from a unit of France Telecom (Orange) to buy Mobinil.
In mid April 2010, Orange UK announced that it would outsourcing the management of its broadband network to BT. Orange will now sell a BT Wholesale product, as opposed to LLU or unbundled broadband as it does currently. This announcement was greeted positively by broadband commentators who feel that the move is likely to improve Orange's poor reputation for broadband quality and customer services.
On 1 July 2010 Everything Everywhere Limited took control of both Orange UK & T-Mobile UK in a joint venture, although currently both Orange & T-Mobile are keeping their individual shops and brands. It is likely that their overall network footprint will increase as both networks intend to allow each other's customers to "roam" on the other network to pick up signal in locations that previously had no service.
On 6 October 2010 Orange and T-Mobile
enabled customers to opt-in to roaming between networks when their customer relationship is with the other. This facility has some handset limitations (the reason it was elected to be opt-in). There is no billing impact and Orange and T-Mobile customers continue to be charged "cross-network" rates to call the other network. Since Orange is now the third participant in the MBNL 3G infrastructure company, it is highly likely that this roaming will be extended to 3G infrastructure and potentially a tripartite radio access network and infrastructure sharing between Orange, T-Mobile and 3 creating the biggest single 3G infrastructure in the UK.
subsidiaries continued using the Orange brand until recently.
On 1 February 2006, Hutchison Telecom announced that its Australian affiliate would withdraw the Orange brand name renaming it as 3CDMA. The 3CDMA network was later shut down on 9 August 2006 after national roaming partner Telstra CDMA it was closing its CDMA network to concentrate on NextG - a 3G GSM network, which leads the world in 3G speeds. Orange/3CDMA was mainly available in Sydney & Melbourne areas with Telstra national roaming covering the rest of Australia due to Telstra CDMA being partially financed by the Australian government, roaming rates were cheaper than a complete CDMA build out. Orange/3CDMA customers were mostly migrated to special price plans on 3AU, the newer, non CDMA 3G GSM division of Hutchison Telecom Australia Limited (HTAL), which merged its 3AU operation in 2009 with Vodafone AU. Vodafone Hutchison Australia is a 50/50 partnership between Hong Kong's HWL & the UK's Vodafone through their Asia Pacific subsidiary groups, Vodafone Asia Pacific & Hutchison Telecom Australia Limited. Although 3AU/HTAL is due a $500million AUD payment to Vodafone for the merger.
The Orange brand name has also now been removed from India. Orange Mumbai
was at first rebranded to Hutch, but has now been rebranded Vodafone
in 2007 after Vodafone purchased Hutch India.
Orange SA pulled out of its joint venture with Thailand's TelecomAsia, TA Orange, in 2003. TelecomAsia (now True Corporation
) continued to use the Orange brand until 2006, when the operator was rebranded as True Move.
The Orange brand is used under licence by Partner Communications Company Ltd.
in Israel and Mauritius Telecom
in Mauritus.
Orange is the current sponsor of Rockcorps in the UK, a community based organisation where volunteers donate four hours of their time in exchange for a concert ticket.
in Belgium, Mobinil
in Egypt
and Optimus Telecomunicações in Portugal. Some of these operations are not a majority holding of the Orange Group, others have strong minority interests.
The situation in Belgium is unusual. Prior to the acquisition by France Telecom, Orange plc owned and operated a network there called Orange. Since France Telecom also owned the market leader Mobistar
, one of the two networks had to be sold following the sale. A decision was made to sell Orange to KPN and keep Mobistar. Orange continued to trade for a while after the sale to KPN before rebranding to BASE
. So for a period of time in Belgium, the Orange owned company Mobistar was competing with an operator called Orange.
, a television series by the BBC
focusing on consumer
protection, published the results from a Broadband
survey
they held. According to the survey Orange is the worst ISP in the UK. 68% of Orange customers that took part in the survey said they were unsatisfied with Orange's Customer Service, it was voted as the most unreliable broadband provider, and it had the highest number of dissatisfied customers. Two thirds of Orange customers experienced problems cancelling their Orange broadband.
In response to the problems with Orange UK broadband and 3G broadband during March 2009 and April 2009 the 3G data network has been upgraded to 3.5G and increased signal coverage. This new network can be seen in action on many mobile phones which display network for instance the Nokia N95, when the phone detects the higher speed. The Orange UK mobile broadband USB adapter works with the new network. The 3G networks for all telecommunication suppliers still struggle to get the throughput that was originally advertised when these networks were announced. The UK Telecomms Regulator has reported on the challenges for all suppliers.
A consumer organisation forum
web site known as OrangeProblems.co.uk focuses on the poor level of service provided by Orange Broadband in the UK. Initially set up as WanadooProblems.co.uk, the site focuses on the infamous Orange Local Loop Unbundling
and poor Customer service
but covers a wider range of Orange operations such as lost email, significantly delayed SMTP and outages, suspicions of eavesdropping, et al.
Orange Mobile has been criticised during a Channel 4 News
investigation for a lack of security which potentially exposed customer records to fraud.
In August 2007 Orange was criticised for summarily deleting email accounts tied to old Freeserve and Wanadoo 'pay as you go' dial-up accounts with no warning.
In August 2008, after well publicised problems with iPhone 3G
performances, customers compared their download speed and discovered that Orange in France was capping 3G download bandwidth. Orange admitted capping to 384kbit/s, well below the theoretical 7.2Mbit/s provided by the iPhone. This issue was addressed by Orange with the complete uncapping of the 3G and 3G+ by Mid-September 2008.
In June 2009 Alex Singleton of the Daily Telegraph lambasted Orange's customer service http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/100001436/did-gordon-brown-turn-mobile-phone-companies-nasty/:
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
for its mobile network operator
Mobile network operator
A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
and Internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited
Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited is a leading global provider of telecommunications services. The Group currently offers mobile and fixed-line telecommunication services in Hong Kong and Israel, and operates mobile telecommunications services in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and...
's UK mobile phone network, which was acquired by France Télécom in August 2000. In 2006, the company's ISP operations, previously Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
, were also rebranded Orange. Orange is now the unique commercial façade of almost all France Telecom services. Orange France was incorporated in 2005 and has its headquarters in Arcueil
Arcueil
Arcueil is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as Arcoloï, and later in the 12th century as Arcoïalum, meaning "place of the arches" , in...
, France.
Organization
It is a global mobile network operator:- South East Asia:
- ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(from 2005 True Move)
- Thailand
The Orange brand is used in Israel by Partner Communications through franchise (see Orange Israel), and it was franchised in Australia, India (until 2006) and Hong Kong in the past. It had a joint venture with Charoen Pokphand
Charoen Pokphand
The Charoen Pokphand Group is a transnational conglomerate that consists of three core businesses that operate in the agribusiness and food, retail and distribution, and the telecommunications industries with investment in 15 countries. Founded in 1921, the CP Group currently employs over 280,000...
in Thailand until 2005.
As of 31 December 2007 France Telecom serves more than 170 million customers in five continents, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The group had consolidated sales of € 52.9 billion in 2007. As of 31 December 2007 the group had 109.7 million mobile customers and 11.7 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.
Orange also belongs to the FreeMove
FreeMove
FreeMove is a mobile telecommunications alliance, designed to provide better service integration for its members' roaming customers. Formed in 2003, the alliance brings together Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and TeliaSonera....
mobile phone alliance.
Orange (mobile network operator)
Microtel Communications Ltd. was formed in April 1990 as a consortium comprising Pactel Corporation, British AerospaceBritish Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
, Millicom
Millicom
Millicom International Cellular, also known as Tigo, is a mobile phone network provider in America and Africa. Based in Luxembourg, the company provides mobile services in 14 countries. With operations across Central America, South America, South-east Asia, and Africa, using GSM, CDMA and TDMA on...
and French company Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
(British Aerospace soon acquired full control of the company). In 1991 Microtel was awarded a license to develop a mobile network in the UK, and in July 1991 Hutchison Telecommunications (UK) Ltd acquired Microtel from BAe. BAe was paid in Hutchison Telecommunications (UK) Ltd. shares, giving the company a 30% share. Hutchison Whampoa held 65% and Barclays Bank the remaining 5%. Microtel was renamed Orange Personal Communications Services Ltd. in 1994. The Orange brand was created by an internal team at Microtel headed by Chris Moss (Marketing Director) and supported by Martin Keogh, Rob Furness and Ian Pond. The brand consultancy Wolff Olins
Wolff Olins
Wolff Olins is a brand consultancy, based in London, New York City and Dubai. It employs 150 designers, strategists and account managers, and has been part of the Omnicom Group since 2001.-History:...
was charged with designing the brand values and logo and advertising agency WCRS created the Orange slogan "The Future's bright, the Future's Orange" along with the now famous advertising. It was also important to establish it as the colour Orange, which is seen as a strong Feng Shui colour. The Orange network was launched on 28 April 1994.
Orange plc was formed in 1995 as a holding company for the Orange group. France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
formed the present company in 2001 after acquiring Orange plc (which had been acquired by Mannesmann AG, itself purchased by Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
shortly after, leading Vodafone to divest Orange) and merging its existing mobile operations into the company. The company was initially 100% owned by France Telecom (although there were and still remain minority investors in some of the national operating companies). In 2001 15% was sold in an IPO
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
, but in 2003 the outstanding shares were bought back by France Telecom.
Orange (internet service provider)
Orange operates as an ISPInternet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea
Equatorial Guinea, officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea where the capital Malabo is situated.Annobón is the southernmost island of Equatorial Guinea and is situated just south of the equator. Bioko island is the northernmost point of Equatorial Guinea. Between the two islands and to the...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Switzerland. France Telecom also operates as an ISP in Poland through its stake in Telekomunikacja Polska, which is now being co-branded as Orange. It is currently the largest ISP in Europe with over ten million subscribers (including those of Telekomunikacja Polska), largely concentrated in France, the UK, Spain and Poland, and was originally known as Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
.
Wanadoo was floated on the stock market on 18 July 2000. In 2000, Wanadoo also took over the major British ISP Freeserve
Freeserve
Freeserve was a British Internet Service Provider, founded in 1998. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged into the Wanadoo group in 2000, itself a subsidiary of France Telecom...
, which had previously been part of the Dixons Group (now Dixons Retail plc). Following the buy-out, Freeserve maintained its own branding for a while before finally changing to the Wanadoo name on 28 April 2004.
However, the name Wanadoo changed to Orange on 1 June 2006 to simplify branding by the common parent company, France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
. This merging of companies has created a single brand offering mobile telecommunications and internet services.
Recent changes
In June 2005, France TelecomFrance Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
announced that its ISP Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
and business service Equant
Equant (France Télécom)
Orange Business Services is part of the France Télécom group. Known as Equant before June 2006, Orange Business Services is the entity within the France Télécom Group dedicated to global business telecommunications...
would both be renamed Orange in 2006 to harmonize branding. In July 2005, France Telecom announced its intention to acquire 80% of the Spanish mobile phone operator Amena
Amena
France Telecom España S.A., more commonly known by its trade name of Orange España, is a mobile network operator in Spain. It was previously known as Amena until 2005, when it was bought by France Télécom...
, a deal that was completed in November 2005. Amena
Amena
France Telecom España S.A., more commonly known by its trade name of Orange España, is a mobile network operator in Spain. It was previously known as Amena until 2005, when it was bought by France Télécom...
was also rebranded to Orange with Wanadoo
Wanadoo
Wanadoo is the former name of the ISP division of Orange SA, which is a subsidiary of France Télécom. It operated in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Senegal, Mauritius, Madagascar, Lebanon, and Jordan...
in Spain and Uni2, a fixed line provider, to complete a "triple play
Triple play (telecommunications)
In telecommunications, triple play service is a marketing term for the provisioning of two bandwidth-intensive services, high-speed Internet access and television, and a less bandwidth-demanding service, telephone, over a single broadband connection. Triple play focuses on a combined business...
".
At the beginning of 2006, Orange in Slovakia started providing triple-play services via FTTH under the name "Orange Homebox".
On 27 September 2007, T-Mobile Netherlands
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
bought Orange Netherlands from France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
and split the two segments. Mobile telephony was integrated with T-Mobile, broadband is now provided by a subsidiary called Online. The European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
had already approved the acquisition as it was not seen as a danger to competition.
In 2008 Orange was given permission from Apple to sell the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
in Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and Orange's African markets.
On January 1, 2009, the Swiss multimedia shops company CityDisc
CityDisc
CityDisc is a music, video, video game and book franchise with 33 locations throughout Switzerland. The first locales primarily featured music; as a result, CityDisc is mostly known for its large selection of music, including rarer items such as oldies collections, local folk compilations and video...
is officially property of the France Telecom Group and becomes Orange CityDisc, the first hybrid shops in Europe to sell not only cellphones and accessories but also music, films and videogames.
On April 5, 2009, France Telecom (Orange) won an Arbitration Court case against Orascom Telecom, condemning OT to transfer its entire stake in Mobinil to FT at a price of E£441,658 per Mobinil share.
On September 8, 2009, Orange and T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
parent Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom AG is a telecommunications company headquartered in Bonn, Germany. It is the largest telecommunications company in Europe....
announced they were in advanced talks to merge their UK operations to create the largest mobile operator with 37% of the market. It is unclear the future of either brand when such deal is completed in November.
In September 2009, Orange was the first to declare that they would be selling the iPhone
IPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
in the UK once O2's exclusivity had ended. Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
announced that they too would be selling the iPhone in the UK. This however would be in early 2010, whereas Orange would start selling the iPhone at the end of 2009.
On October 28, 2009, Orange changed the name of its Luxembourgish telco VOXMobile to Orange.
On December 11, 2009, Egypt's regulator has approved an offer from a unit of France Telecom (Orange) to buy Mobinil.
In mid April 2010, Orange UK announced that it would outsourcing the management of its broadband network to BT. Orange will now sell a BT Wholesale product, as opposed to LLU or unbundled broadband as it does currently. This announcement was greeted positively by broadband commentators who feel that the move is likely to improve Orange's poor reputation for broadband quality and customer services.
On 1 July 2010 Everything Everywhere Limited took control of both Orange UK & T-Mobile UK in a joint venture, although currently both Orange & T-Mobile are keeping their individual shops and brands. It is likely that their overall network footprint will increase as both networks intend to allow each other's customers to "roam" on the other network to pick up signal in locations that previously had no service.
On 6 October 2010 Orange and T-Mobile
T-Mobile
T-Mobile International AG is a German-based holding company for Deutsche Telekom AG's various mobile communications subsidiaries outside Germany. Based in Bonn, Germany, its subsidiaries operate GSM and UMTS-based cellular networks in Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
enabled customers to opt-in to roaming between networks when their customer relationship is with the other. This facility has some handset limitations (the reason it was elected to be opt-in). There is no billing impact and Orange and T-Mobile customers continue to be charged "cross-network" rates to call the other network. Since Orange is now the third participant in the MBNL 3G infrastructure company, it is highly likely that this roaming will be extended to 3G infrastructure and potentially a tripartite radio access network and infrastructure sharing between Orange, T-Mobile and 3 creating the biggest single 3G infrastructure in the UK.
Use of the Orange brand by other companies
Because the brand was originally owned by Hutchison, many of Hutchison's Asian and OceanicOceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
subsidiaries continued using the Orange brand until recently.
On 1 February 2006, Hutchison Telecom announced that its Australian affiliate would withdraw the Orange brand name renaming it as 3CDMA. The 3CDMA network was later shut down on 9 August 2006 after national roaming partner Telstra CDMA it was closing its CDMA network to concentrate on NextG - a 3G GSM network, which leads the world in 3G speeds. Orange/3CDMA was mainly available in Sydney & Melbourne areas with Telstra national roaming covering the rest of Australia due to Telstra CDMA being partially financed by the Australian government, roaming rates were cheaper than a complete CDMA build out. Orange/3CDMA customers were mostly migrated to special price plans on 3AU, the newer, non CDMA 3G GSM division of Hutchison Telecom Australia Limited (HTAL), which merged its 3AU operation in 2009 with Vodafone AU. Vodafone Hutchison Australia is a 50/50 partnership between Hong Kong's HWL & the UK's Vodafone through their Asia Pacific subsidiary groups, Vodafone Asia Pacific & Hutchison Telecom Australia Limited. Although 3AU/HTAL is due a $500million AUD payment to Vodafone for the merger.
The Orange brand name has also now been removed from India. Orange Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
was at first rebranded to Hutch, but has now been rebranded Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
in 2007 after Vodafone purchased Hutch India.
Orange SA pulled out of its joint venture with Thailand's TelecomAsia, TA Orange, in 2003. TelecomAsia (now True Corporation
True Corporation
True Corporation Public Company Limited is a communication conglomerate in Thailand. True controls Thailand's largest cable TV provider True Visions, its largest ISP True Internet and its third-largest mobile operator True Move.-History:...
) continued to use the Orange brand until 2006, when the operator was rebranded as True Move.
The Orange brand is used under licence by Partner Communications Company Ltd.
Partner Communications Company Ltd.
Partner Communications Company Ltd. is a mobile network operator, internet Wi-Fi and fixed telephony service provider in Israel....
in Israel and Mauritius Telecom
Mauritius Telecom
Mauritius Telecom is a telecommunications and Internet service provider in Mauritius, a small republic in the Indian Ocean. The company has about 332,000 fixed telephone lines customers, 650,000 mobile customers, 25,000 customers...
in Mauritus.
Orange is the current sponsor of Rockcorps in the UK, a community based organisation where volunteers donate four hours of their time in exchange for a concert ticket.
Operations within the Orange Group
Most operations in Orange SA are also branded Orange, but not all - the exceptions being MobistarMobistar
Mobistar is the second largest of Belgium's three mobile telecommunications operators. It competes with Proximus, owned by Belgian state owned telco Belgacom, and Base, a subsidiary of Dutch KPN.-History:...
in Belgium, Mobinil
Mobinil
Mobinil is one of Egypt's three mobile phone operators. Founded in 1998. The company is majority-owned and fully consolidated by France Télécom , which holds 71.25% of the shares in "Mobinil Telecom," the rest of the shares being held by Orascom Telecom...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and Optimus Telecomunicações in Portugal. Some of these operations are not a majority holding of the Orange Group, others have strong minority interests.
The situation in Belgium is unusual. Prior to the acquisition by France Telecom, Orange plc owned and operated a network there called Orange. Since France Telecom also owned the market leader Mobistar
Mobistar
Mobistar is the second largest of Belgium's three mobile telecommunications operators. It competes with Proximus, owned by Belgian state owned telco Belgacom, and Base, a subsidiary of Dutch KPN.-History:...
, one of the two networks had to be sold following the sale. A decision was made to sell Orange to KPN and keep Mobistar. Orange continued to trade for a while after the sale to KPN before rebranding to BASE
BASE (mobile)
BASE is a telephony services and broadband internet brand operated by KPN Group Belgium/KPN in Belgium and Germany.-Belgium:BASE is a brand of KPN Group Belgium....
. So for a period of time in Belgium, the Orange owned company Mobistar was competing with an operator called Orange.
Criticism
On 21 March 2007 WatchdogWatchdog (TV series)
Watchdog is a BBC television series that investigates viewers' reports of problematic experiences with traders, retailers, and other companies around the UK...
, a television series by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
focusing on consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
protection, published the results from a Broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
survey
Statistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
they held. According to the survey Orange is the worst ISP in the UK. 68% of Orange customers that took part in the survey said they were unsatisfied with Orange's Customer Service, it was voted as the most unreliable broadband provider, and it had the highest number of dissatisfied customers. Two thirds of Orange customers experienced problems cancelling their Orange broadband.
In response to the problems with Orange UK broadband and 3G broadband during March 2009 and April 2009 the 3G data network has been upgraded to 3.5G and increased signal coverage. This new network can be seen in action on many mobile phones which display network for instance the Nokia N95, when the phone detects the higher speed. The Orange UK mobile broadband USB adapter works with the new network. The 3G networks for all telecommunication suppliers still struggle to get the throughput that was originally advertised when these networks were announced. The UK Telecomms Regulator has reported on the challenges for all suppliers.
A consumer organisation forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
web site known as OrangeProblems.co.uk focuses on the poor level of service provided by Orange Broadband in the UK. Initially set up as WanadooProblems.co.uk, the site focuses on the infamous Orange Local Loop Unbundling
Local loop unbundling
Local loop unbundling is the regulatory process of allowing multiple telecommunications operators to use connections from the telephone exchange to the customer's premises...
and poor Customer service
Customer service
Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.According to Turban et al. , “Customer service is a series of activities designed to enhance the level of customer satisfaction – that is, the feeling that a product or service has met the customer...
but covers a wider range of Orange operations such as lost email, significantly delayed SMTP and outages, suspicions of eavesdropping, et al.
Orange Mobile has been criticised during a Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News is the news division of British television broadcaster Channel 4. It is produced by ITN, and has been in operation since the broadcaster's launch in 1982.-Channel 4 News:...
investigation for a lack of security which potentially exposed customer records to fraud.
In August 2007 Orange was criticised for summarily deleting email accounts tied to old Freeserve and Wanadoo 'pay as you go' dial-up accounts with no warning.
In August 2008, after well publicised problems with iPhone 3G
3G
3G or 3rd generation mobile telecommunications is a generation of standards for mobile phones and mobile telecommunication services fulfilling the International Mobile Telecommunications-2000 specifications by the International Telecommunication Union...
performances, customers compared their download speed and discovered that Orange in France was capping 3G download bandwidth. Orange admitted capping to 384kbit/s, well below the theoretical 7.2Mbit/s provided by the iPhone. This issue was addressed by Orange with the complete uncapping of the 3G and 3G+ by Mid-September 2008.
In June 2009 Alex Singleton of the Daily Telegraph lambasted Orange's customer service http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/alexsingleton/100001436/did-gordon-brown-turn-mobile-phone-companies-nasty/:
"The hatred that large numbers of Orange customers have towards their network is mostly France Telecom's fault. The French firm utterly wrecked the company it bought. Internet forums are now full of angry customers who have been billed incorrectly or otherwise wronged, and who have found ringing Orange to complain a horrible experience."
Other Orange websites
- Orange Partner - Orange Group's developer/partner program, enabling businesses worldwide to commercialize their applications, content or solutions on the Orange network.
See also
- 3 (telecommunications) new brands set-up by Hutchison WhampoaHutchison WhampoaHutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
after Orange.