Orange has unveiled a new international partnership programme called Orange Alliance that the French operator said will help spread its services and products to markets where it does not have a foothold.
The company was also able to reveal two partners at the launch of the new programme: Vini, a French Polynesia-based operator, and ZonOptimus of Portugal have signed up to Orange Alliance services, and Orange said further partners are expected to be added in the coming few months. No details have yet been revealed about the commercial arrangements, however.
Orange Alliance joins the existing Orange Horizons programme that was set up in January last year to seek out new business opportunities outside the company's footprint. A spokesperson for Orange explained that while the remit of Orange Horizons is to develop consumer-based services in emerging markets in order to generate additional revenue, Orange Alliance is a B2B programme that will work directly with telecoms operators to help them benefit from Orange best practices and experiences.
For example, Orange Horizons has recently been testing free in-vehicle Wi-Fi services with African Eagle Tourism in South Africa, and has also said mobile virtual network operators could present a good route to market in different countries.
Orange Alliance meanwhile will provide tailor-made services and support to operators, and will offer access to Orange Group products, services and procurement activities as well as international roaming.
Both programmes come under the remit of the Strategy & Development unit run by Élie Girard at Orange. The spokesperson added that this unit is generally responsible for developing new business streams across the group.
"Through the Orange Alliance programme, we hope to support the growth of third-party operators by providing them with access to high-value services based on the group's extensive experience and know-how as one of the world's largest telecoms operators," said Girard. "As it grows, the programme will form a community of operators that will benefit our development strategy and increase the visibility of Orange across the world."
Orange currently has operations in more than 30 countries, including in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. The company's new programmes also reflect a pragmatic approach towards launching services in new markets, where investing in networks and building the Orange brand from scratch may not always make economic sense. The company has already had its fingers burned in Kenya and Uganda, for example, and is now reviewing its position in both countries.
For more:
- see this Orange release
- see this MyBroadband article
Related Articles:
Orange sells Dominican Republic unit to Altice for €1.1B
Orange seeks new horizons in South Africa, Myanmar
FT Orange targets new revenues with launch of 'Horizons' subsidiary