As cell phone retailers bicker over who has the most attractive mobile broadband/laptop offer, Orange has trumped the opposition with a new proposition. The company has bundled a trio of HP Compaq laptops and USB HSDPA modems with broadband tariffs targeted to appeal to business users.
Key among these is 'unlimited' HSDPA usage - in reality a download limit of 5GB per month, although there are indications Orange will be lenient about applying this to valued subscribers.
The company would also argue its pricing effectively makes the HP Compaq laptops free. The bundles are based around the Compaq 6735s, 6730s and 6730b, with monthly subscriptions costing €42, €48 and €54 per month respectively. Contracts run for two years for a total expenditure of €1000, €1150 and €1300, again respectively. And, with the 6730b typically costing around €900 on its own, Orange might have a point.
To make sure that this offer catches the attention of business users, Orange has not only embedded the SIM card, but included 500 Wi-Fi minutes per month.
However, the company has failed to announce a launch date for these laptops - 'shortly' was all it was prepared to commit to.
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