Orange considers allowing its name to be used in Australia
Orange, the British cell-phone group 44.8 per cent owned by Hutchison Whampoa, is considering allowing its name to be used in Australia, where Hutchison Telecom Australia is preparing to launch a new mobile-phone service.
The move, which will propel further Orange's strategy to become a global mobile telecommunications company, comes as the group announced yesterday that it was also preparing a joint bid to operate a new cell-phone licence in Hungary.
Orange, which already has licences to operate in Belgium, Switzerland and Austria, and allows its name to be used in Hong Kong and Israel, said it was looking at many areas around the world to expand it presence.
'We are looking at lots of opportunities,' an Orange official said.
'We have got a very strong international global strategy to make Orange a global brand,' the official added.
The expansion into Australia will mark the first time that Orange, which has traditionally restricted itself to global system for mobile (GSM) technology, has allowed its highly successful brand to be used on the rival code division multiple access (CDMA) system that will be launched by Hutchison Telecom Australia.
Hutchison Telecom Australia, which has already placed a US$210 million delivery and installation contract with Samsung Electronics for the CDMA system, said yesterday that it had also awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to British computer company Logica to provide telecoms solutions and systems integration services.
Construction of the project is to be completed by March next year in time for the summer Sydney Olympics, and will present Orange with an unrivalled opportunity to boost its brand name recognition on a global stage.
In Hungary, Orange said it was teaming up with information group Callahan Associates, and would be later joined by a third company, to launch a GSM bid.
It said Orange Hungaria would create more than 1,000 jobs and have its headquarters in Budapest.
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