14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier Orange announced today that it had signed three new mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs), including Unicom, Catalyst and Axis Telecom. According to the company, the new deals were inked on the Orange Partner Platform via Transatel, its mobile virtual network aggregator (MVNA). Moreover, the new deals are set to show Orange's commitment to the expansion of MVNO opportunities in the UK.
The new deals add to the already existing five MVNO partnerships, Orange notes, adding that the new MVNOs are to benefit from the carrier's extensive GSM network, which can offer coverage for 99 percent of UK's population, as well as from its 3G network which covers over 93 percent of the UK population at the moment. According to Orange, its networks offer the largest UK coverage than any other wireless carrier in the country.
Orange also states that this state of fact will enable - Unicom, the fixed line service provider, to launch as a B2B MVNO selling mobile services, initially to its existing base of some 80,000 customers, and will provide billing for both fixed and mobile services on the same invoice. - Catalyst to provide mobile services through partners, for niche groups such as students, ethnic minorities and SMEs. - Axis Telecom, to provide a mobile offering to its current customer base of over 14,000 businesses and residential customers through a number of SIM only deals
All three MVNOs are expected to launch during the first half of the ongoing year, Orange states. At the same time, the wireless carrier also notes that Transatel’s speed to market enables companies to launch as an MVNO in only six weeks. Telecoms resellers aiming at SME and residential market should be attracted by this offer, the carrier notes.
“Orange has very ambitious plans to become the network partner of choice for new and existing MVNOs. This latest news shows that we are well on our way to achieving this and our ambition to have twenty new MVNO’s on the Orange network by the end of the year. It clearly demonstrates that there are untapped opportunities for telecoms services across business and consumer sectors. Through our partnership with Transatel, we are making it even easier for communities and companies of all sizes to enter the exciting mobile market,” Marc Overton, vice president of Wholesale, Business Development & Partnerships at Orange UK, commented.