Orange

Orange suspends shipments of BlackBerry Bold

Phil Goldstein — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:25:03 -0400

U.K. mobile operator Orange said it was suspending shipments of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Bold because of unspecified "software issues."

RIM has been under fire because of the Bold delays in the United States. The device was first reported to have a summer launch. That was delayed into the fall, and last week, RIM said that the launch will be delayed further. RIM said AT&T Mobility, which is launching the device in the U.S., was continuing to test the device to make sure it operated optimally on their 3G HSPA network.

The Bold delays also come as RIM is pushing the touchscreen BlackBerry Storm to get into the U.S. market in time for the holiday shopping season.

The news was first reported by the Mobile Tech Addicts website, per an internal Orange memo.

For more:
- see this Wired article
- see the Orange memo here

Related Articles:
RIM: AT&T still testing BlackBerry Bold
RIM downgraded because of Bold delays

Orange admits to capping 3G data speeds

Sue Marek — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:53:37 -0400

After a slew of complaints from customers about the iPhone 3G's substandard performance on its network, Orange has admitted that it is capping its 3G data speeds at 384 Kbps.

In a statement, the company says it will increase its 3G data speeds to 1MB by mid-September but didn't provide the reason behind the two week wait. Nor would it say whether the company would compensate customers for the limitations on the data speeds.

For more:
- read this article

Related articles:
Who's to blame for the iPhone 3G data speed snafu?
Is the iPhone 3G a game-changer for mobile broadband?

Orange inks iPhone deals for EMEA

Brian Dolan — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:12:19 -0400

French telecom Orange has inked a deal with Apple for iPhone carriage in countries throughout the Middle East, Africa and a number of European countries. The carrier issued a one sentence press release that disclosed deals for iPhone carriage in: Austria, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Jordan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Switzerland and various African markets later in 2008. No word on whether the deals will be exclusive to Orange, as has been the case with most iPhone deals, or whether there will be more than one carrier in some of the markets, like in Italy. Article

ALSO NOTED: AT&T's new marketing director; Mobile users outnumber non-users; and much more...

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Carl Icahn prepares to debut his blog. Article

> AT&T hires new marketing director, Chris Schembri. Article

> ITU: mobile users outnumber non-users for the first time. Article

> ARM to show off Google's Android on a device next week at Mobile World Congress. Article

> Rumor Mill: Vodafone to brief vendors on LTE plans. Article

> Orange looks to expand into emerging markets. Article

> BT dumps FMC offering after poor consumer uptake. Article

And Finally... Why the blogs are excited for Intel's Silverthorne. Article

ALSO NOTED: Xohm soft launch; What if incumbents win? and much more...

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:59:50 -0500

> Orange U.K. CEO hires three former colleagues from Virgin Mobile U.K. Article

> Forbes considers what would happen if telcos win the 700 MHz auction instead of the newcomers like Google. Article

> Sprint's Xohm soft launch is underway. Article

And Finally... CES: OpenMoko debuts open-source mobile phone. Slideshow

Orange sold more than 70K iPhones in December

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 06:59:54 -0500

France Telecom's Orange announced that it has sold more than 70,000 Apple iPhones during the month of December. The carrier had projected sales of between 50,000 and 100,000 for the month, which was the first full month of sales following the handset's launch in late November. The bulk of the sales, reportedly, came during the first five days of the phone's launch, which saw 30,000 iPhones sold. About 48 percent of iPhone sales went to new Orange subscribers and the carrier only sold about 3,500 unlocked handsets.

For more on Orange's December iPhone sales:
- read this article from Cellular News

Orange: Unlocked iPhones not locked to France

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 06:59:54 -0500

French carrier Orange has poured cold water on rumors circulating the blogosphere that its unlocked iPhones are actually country-locked to French carriers only. The carrier said its phones are truly unlocked and do not require a French SIM card to work. Orange announced in October that it would sell unlocked iPhones because of a French law that requires carriers to offer unlocked phones.

For more on Orange's unlocked iPhones:
- read this report from Engadget

ALSO NOTED: VZW offers new red LG; Orange sells 30K iPhones; and much more...

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 06:59:50 -0500

> Verizon Wireless introduces the Red LG VX8350. Release

> Orange has sold 30,000 iPhones in France so far. Article

> Montclair University requires students to have GPS-enabled phones. Article

And Finally... Cricket has signed a marketing deal with Our Stories Films, a film studio created by the founder of BET. Article

Orange sells unlocked iPhones for $964 apiece

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:59:57 -0500

France's Orange announced that it will sell unlocked iPhones for about $964, much less than the $1500 that T-Mobile Germany is charging for the unlocked devices. iPhone buyers that also sign up for a one-year contract with Orange can get the handset for about $590. Orange offers four different pricing plans, which all include free access to the iPhone's visual voicemail service, "unlimited" access to email and the Internet. PC World, however, noted that the pricing plans forbid reading newsgroups, making VoIP (voice over IP) calls, sharing files over peer-to-peer services or using the iPhone as a modem with a notebook PC.

For more on the unlocked iPhone in France:
- read this article from PC World

Metric: Device acquisition up 40% in U.S.

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

According to a recent report from M:Metrics, 12 percent of U.S. mobile users who bought a new phone last year did so in December, which marks a 40 percent uptick in device sales during that month. "December is consistently the highest-performing month for new device purchases, and the operators have responded by embellishing their handset portfolios in time for the holidays," Paul Goode, senior analyst, M:Metrics said in a statement. "As we look out at the Christmas season, one way to gauge how devices may perform is their popularity, so the iPhone and N95 should do well at the premium end of the market."

(click to see chart)

The analyst firm also found that LG's enV Orange, Apple's iPhone and the LG AX355 each received the highest level of satisfaction from consumers in the U.S.

For more on the report:
- read this press release

France Telecom to sell 100K iPhones in 2007

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 06:59:55 -0500

France Telecom's Orange subsidiary plans to sell a little less than 100,000 iPhones in 2007 and also plans to offer an unlocked version of the handset for a price that is well below T-Mobile Germany's $1500, according to Orange CEO Didier Lombard. Analysts estimate that Orange has to move about 3,000 iPhones a day to make the goal of nearly 100,000 iPhones by year-end.

T-Mobile Germany rival Debitel also announced that it would provide a $890 rebate for iPhone users who buy an unlocked iPhone from T-Mobile Germany for $1500 and activate it on Debitel's network.

For more on the iPhone in Europe:
- read this article about Orange's plans from AppleInsider
- read this article from Gizmodo about Debitel

HTC sold 800,000 Touch phones

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Since the HTC Touch went on sale in late July, HTC has sold 800,000 of the phones. The figure is an echo of sales of Apple's iPhone, which sold 1 million during a similar period. HTC CEO Peter Chou said: "This is better than I expected… We feel very good about our success."

HTC coupled the sales figure milestone with the launch of four new handsets, including the Advantage and the Touch Dual phone, which France Telecom's Orange will carry on its HSDPA network in the U.K., France, Romania and Poland starting this month.

For more on HTC's handsets:
- read this press release

Deutsche Telekom buys Orange Netherlands for $1.8B

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:59:55 -0400

Deutsche Telekom has scooped up the fourth biggest carrier in the Netherlands, France Telecom's Orange, for $1.89 billion. DT's Netherland's subsidiary, T-Mobile Netherlands, is the third largest carrier in that country. Together the two carriers will have 4.8 million Dutch customers. CEO Rene Obermann said the deal would create synergies of $1.4 billion. Half the savings will be achieved over the next six years, Obermann said.

For more on the DT-Orange deal:
- read this article from the WSJ

Related links:
Our Orange news feed
Our Deutsche Telekom feed

Nordic Operators Pursue iPhone

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:10:36 -0400

Piggy-backing on the deluge of announcements across Europe this week regarding which carriers will get exclusive rights to the iPhone in their countries, Nordic operators have also begun mentioning that they too are vying for the prize. TeliaSonera and Telenor both claim to be in talks with Apple over the iPhone, but neither could confirm that a deal had been made at this time.

Telenor operates primarily in Norway, while TeliaSonera has large operations in Sweden and Finland. If either strikes a deal with Apple, it will probably for national exclusivity in their respective countries.Ã‚Â "We have seen immense interest in the iPhone from our customers," explained Telenor spokesman Anders Krokan to Dow Jones. "We are still in talks, but I doubt we would be able to offer the iPhone this year."

Previously this week, Apple announced exlusive deals with carriers in the U.K., France and Germany. O2 got the U.K. deal, while Orange has exclusivity in France. T-Mobile locked down the deal in Germany.Ã‚Â A lot of contreversy has revolved around Apple's revenue sharing plan for calls originating from the iPhone--a practice O2's chief defended saying that such a system allows for the development of such innovative products.

For more:

- read this MarketWatch article

As expected: Orange gets iPhone for France

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

It's the third consecutive day for an exclusive iPhone deal in Europe. Today's? France Telecom's Orange will be Apple's carrier partner in the country, according to the carrier. "We have signed an agreement with Apple to sell the iPhone," France Telecom's spokesperson said. The phone will go on sale in November, according to the carrier, which did not specify an exact date. The iPhone goes on sale November 9 in both theÃ‚Â U.K. and Germany, so chances are it will be the same. Orange has also not yet released pricing details or service plans for the handset. On the pricing front, the carrier only said it "won't subsidize the iPhone."

Unlike the other two European launches, Apple has not issued a press release, held an event or announced the Orange deal at all. That might be because of the Apple event in Paris next week.

For more on Orange's iPhone deal:
- read this report from Dow Jones

Ofcom to free up 2G spectrum for 3G use

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

The U.K.'s telecom regulator, Ofcom announced it wants to loosen up restrictions on the spectrum currently used for 2G mobile services. The spectrum includes two tiers: 900 MHz and 1800 MHz. O2 and Vodafone use the 900 MHz slice while O2, Vodafone, T-Mobile and Orange make use of the 1800 MHz portion. The current restrictions dictate that these spectrum blocks can only be used for 2G, but Ofcom wants them to be used for 3G services as well. That way, carriers could augment their 3G networks' download speeds, rural coverage and reception inside buildings. Ofcom plans to hold an auction for the spectrum but is currently seeking consultation from interested parties through November.

For more on Ofcom's plans:
- read this report from the BBC

iPhone: T-Mobile Germany confirmed; 3G version '08

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced that T-Mobile is the exclusive iPhone carrier in Germany. The phone and details are in line with yesterday's UK O2 announcement. Orange is expected to announce its exclusive iPhone deal for France tomorrow.

According to a report from Pocket-lint, Jobs announced at the O2 iPhone launch press event: "We are working on the next iPhone already, the one after that and the one after that... You can expect a 3G iPhone later next year." Jobs' comments fall in line with the various 3G iPhone rumors that we've been hearing, though he didn't give any further indication of exactly when the 3G phone would make its debut. As we reported yesterday, The Street claims it will come out in Q1 next year with A-GPS capabilities.

For more on iPhone's European launches:
- read thisÃ‚Â press release from the companyÃ‚Â

Related articles:
- Apple announces O2 iPhone dealÃ‚Â
- Report: T-Mobile, O2, Orange get iPhone

Vodafone UK and Orange finalize network sharing

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:59:56 -0400

Vodafone UK and Orange announced today that they have finalized their joint network sharing agreement and are in search of an outsourcing partner. Such a partner will help the carriers maintain their network masts, which could lead to job cuts in the U.K. for the carriers. The carriers have been in talks for months to create the JV. The initial agreement only covers the carriers' newer 3G networks, but the companies plan to expand it to include their legacy networks as well. Last year, U.K. operator 3 signed a seven year $2 billion contract with Ericsson to outsource some of their operations, which included a 1,000 employee transfer to Ericsson.

For more on the JV:
- read this report from The Guardian

ALSO NOTED: Ericsson's HSPA; Analysts tough on Alcatel-Lucent; and much more...

Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:59:50 -0400

> Philadelphia is conducting a hearing to discuss Earthlink's troubles and ability to construct a muni-WiFi network. Article

> Ericsson introduces HSPA platform for mass market. Article

> Analysts are tough on Alcatel-Lucent. Article

And Finally... TechCrunch claims that Apple will launch the iPhone in France on September 24 with Orange, and the handset will cost 300 Euros. Article

AT&T to energize its mobile branding

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:59:58 -0400

AT&T announced several marketing initiatives that aim to refocus the AT&T brand as "mobility-centric." The first campaign kicks off today and is called "Your Seamless World," which features mobility services and situations for both consumers and corporations. Wes Anderson, director of "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"Ã‚Â will direct six new TV spots for the campaign. The spots are called: College Kid, Reporter, Mom, Architect, Actor and Businessman.

The second campaign launches on September 24: The carrier plans to launch an interactive website called "Digital World" to create avatars that can be posted on other social networking sites.

Lastly, AT&T is taking a page from its old carrier brand, Cingular, by making orange a "new primary corporate color." The new logos will still be blue, but orange will take on a larger role in corporate branding moving forward.

For more on the initiatives:
- read this press release from the carrier