Orange is looking to the future (so says its slogan) and it seems that that future is all about super-fast, super connected services. As part of a new agenda to ‘improve, grow and evolve’ the business, Orange is set to invest heavily in improving the quality and coverage of 2G and 3G networks. Not only that but the company plans to roll out a ‘super-fast network’ (yes that’s a technical term) offering speeds of up to 14.4mbps. Crikey!
Accompanying this renewed thirst for high speed connectivity will be a new ‘totally connected’ product line spanning laptops and mobile phones. Whether these devices will be Orange branded remains unclear, but it seems likely given that the aim is to entice people to adopt Orange’s fixed-line service in the home as well as its high-speed mobile data network on the move
It’s all part of a grand scheme to revitalize Orange’s business and dramatically improve the experience from the consumer end. There are plans to open 60 new stores this year and next and the Orange on-line store is also due a major overhaul.
As for that ‘super fast network’, the roll out for that is penciled in for 2009, which should leave enough time for some decent (and affordable) 4G devices to hit the shelves. We’re counting down the days already (though we wouldn’t be surprised if some other UK networks decide to get in on the ‘super-fast’ action too).
Good news, people of Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester and Reading. The six cities are due to get Vodafone’s high-speed mobile broadband network by this Autumn, as the operator continues to roll out HSDPA across the UK. They join London and the major British airports, which were the first to get it last year. Vodafone is also making a step up in the way it sells mobile broadband contracts to customers, offering more easily understandable information at the point of purchase - for example, explaining how many emails and web pages your tariff allows you to download, and how long it’ll take you to download files, films and music over the network. Films? They’re encouraging people to download films over a mobile broadband connection? There better be generous data limits on those tariffs!
Well, better late than never, I guess. O2 UK has announced the launch of its mobile broadband service, with a USB dongle offering up-to-HSDPA data speeds on the go, while also throwing in unlimited Wi-Fi usage at partner The Cloud’s network of hotspots.
Last year, 3 UK launches its mobile broadband dongle - a USB modem that you connect to your laptop for broadband on the go. Charging a tenner a month for 1GB of data undercut all 3’s rivals, and it seems the service has been a success: 3 has seen data traffic increase by 700% since it was introduced in October.
Just a quick note for any of you on contracts with Orange to let you know that business customers on mobile broadband tariffs will soon be able to bag themselves an unlimited usage allowance so that using your mobile in conjunction with your PC for broadband internet access, no longer needs to be a financial black hole.
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