France Telecom is bringing its mobile service in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under the Orange banner, a little over a year after acquiring local carrier CCT.
The rebrand follows an investment of 87.4 billion Congolese francs (€73.4 million) in network upgrades and expansion since Orange bought CCT in October 2011, and some 18,000 hours of training for staff in the African nation. Orange services will be available through 22 branded stores, and a network of 30,000 distributors and partners.
Jean-Léon Bonnechère, chief executive of Orange DRC, says the cellco plans to tap into the overall Orange group to offer “simple, dynamic and innovative services,” which includes access to 3G services.
The carrier also aims to develop mobile healthcare and education services in DRC through its Orange Foundation. Those services are scheduled to go live during 2013.