Orange (company)

History

Orange plc was launched on the British market in April 1994 by Hutchison Whampoa, with for objective becoming the operator of reference as regards communications without wire.

During its launching in April 1994, Orange becomes the fourth operator to enter on the British market already very saturated with an ambitious objective: to become the reference as regards mobile communications. For that purpose, Orange must thus be dissociated radically.

The three actors already present on this market practiced at the time a complex and high tariffing; to counter them, Orange forges a strong identity and innovates by proposing simple fixed prices, less expensive and with additional services.

In 1996, during the going public, the principal shareholders are Hutchison Whampoa (48% of the capital) and British Aerospace (22% of the capital).

In July 1997, Orange passes the course of the million customers. The company also has more the low level of bearing, posts better margins which its competitors and obtains from excellent levels of satisfaction of the customers.

Orange is launched to HongKong in September 1998, and passes from the fourth in the first place of the market in six months.

In 1999, Orange takes foot with international, with acquisitions of a holding in Austria, Belgium and Switzerland and a grant of licenses of mark in HongKong, in Australia, in Israel and India with various operators. In Israel, Orange gains more than 400.000 customers at the time of the first year, and is recognized like one of the more famous brands of the country.

Orange is established in Belgium and, at the end of 1999, it grants licenses to companies of HongKong, of Australia, of Israel and India.

At the end of 1999, German Mannesmann AG announces the acquisition of Orange plc for a price equivalent to 7.900 € per customer. In comparison, Deutsche Telekom poured 3.800 € per customer when it bought his One-2-One competitor. A little later Vodafone repurchases Mannesmann. This operation was conditioned by the European commission with the Orange plc resale.

In August 2000, France Telecom thus repurchases Orange plc in Vodafone for total costs estimated at 39,7 billion euros. It will have itself to separate from the Belgian subsidiary company of Orange (completely yielded to KPN), since it has there already the network Mobistar.

The activities of Orange plc mobile telephony are then amalgamated with the majority of the mobile phone activities of France Telecom, setting up the new group Orange SA. February 13rd 2001, Orange SA is introduced with the purse EuroNext Paris with a unit price of action fixed at 10 € with a secondary quotation in London and, in May 2001, Orange SA is with dimensions with CAC 40, the classification of the first 40 French companies in terms of market cap.

In 2003, Orange upsets the sector of mobile telephony by making its 2.000 employees of the United Kingdom of the trainers in telephony who will help the customers as well as possible to exploit the possibilities of their Orange telephone.

In 2004, Orange withdraws Denmark: the operator Orange A/S (in the past Mobilix, created in 1997) is sold with the operator finno-Swedish TeliaSonera for the sum of 600 million cash paid euros.

The marks of France Telecom Mobile (Itinéris, OLA, Mobicarte) are replaced by the Orange mark (“mobicarte” becomes the name of the one of the offers of Orange, and the two others disappear) in June 2001.

In France and in the United Kingdom, since June 1st, 2006 and with an aim of commercial convergence, France Telecom uses the Orange mark for her activities Internet, in the past marketed under the mark Wanadoo (like MaLigneTV in France). France Telecom does not hope to adopt itself there: it wishes soon to gather all the subsidiary companies of the Group (except fixed telephony) under the Orange sign. Thus Equant, the mark of the services for the companies becomes Orange Business Services for multinationals .

Orange obtained licenses UMTS in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Spain, France, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In 2005, Orange France becomes the first operator to use a domestic network with high banc for mobile phone, joining together the EDGE which covers 95% of the population, the 3G which covers 60% of the population, and the GPRS (low Internet flow) which covers 98% of the population.

Since, the company starts the renaming ( rebranding ) of its telephone services in the world under the single mark Orange.

In 2007, Orange is judged by the Court of appeal of French justice and must pour 215 million euros following a judgment blaming of the agreements of price with SFR. Justice however also condemned Bouygues Telecom to pay a consequent fine for a simple presumption.

Orange in the World

Mobile telephony

Orange account 100 million mobile customers in the world at November 30th, 2006.

Orange France is the first telecommunications operator mobiles in France (market share bordering the 47% and approximately 22,4 million subscribers at December 31st, 2005).

Orange the U.K. is the first operator in the United Kingdom in terms of active customers (to December 31st, 2002, market share from approximately 27,2% and approximately 13,3 million active customers).

Internet

Orange proposes its Livebox and the associated services in France and with the the United Kingdom. Orange also proposes in Belgium a Livebox under the mark Mobistar. The Livebox is since from now on obligatory with the fixed prices Unik. The Livebox modem allows the use of one second phone line and the access to the television service. The Livebox modem in France is sold 79€ or rented to the customer with 3€/mois, in addition to the subscription subscribes and the France Telecom subscription (except if the customer subscribed to a " offer; Net" , trade name of the naked ADSL at Orange).

Sponsoring

In Rugby

Orange is partner of the World cup of Rugby 2007 which proceeds in France.

In football

Since 1998, Orange becomes the principal sponsor of RC Lens.
In 2001/2002, Orange becomes the partner of all the clubs of Ligue 1 as well as 5 clubs of Ligue 2. It asset also video rights on mobile of the French championship (League 1 and 2).
In 2002, Orange becomes for 4 years partner titrates Championship of France with a new name which associates its mark: League 1 Orange and League 2 Orange.
In 2003-2004, Orange is partner of all the clubs of League 1 and League 2 Orange. The partnership is signed until 2008. In addition, Orange also acquired the video rights on mobile for the Champion' S League, on the French territory.
Besides, Orange is also partner of the Divison 1 of the Ivory Coast and the Divison 1 Polish

See too

List of the mobile operators in the world

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