Orange Launches NFC Services, Roaming Tariffs

BARCELONA -- As the first European operator to announce that we would deploy a new generation of SIM cards and handsets to facilitate mobile contactless services, Orange has extended its successful and long-term relationship with Samsung to deliver handsets enabled for NFC (Near Field Communications) firstly in the UK, France, Spain and Poland. The Samsung Wave 578 will be launched by Orange in Spain, Poland and France from Q2 this year[1] before being rolled out to the wider Orange European footprint. It will be the first in a series of NFC-enabled handsets that will include devices from LG and Nokia, amongst others. Orange expects that by the end of 2011 over half of all new smartphone models to be added to its range for Europe will be optimised for mobile contactless services.

In line with Orange’s strategy to give mobile customers the best possible access to content and new services, the Orange Samsung Wave 578 is equipped with NFC connectivity in a sleek and user-friendly design. It runs on bada 1.1, Samsung’s operating system. Wave 578 enables fast data rates and easy information with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and USB 2.0. The device will also feature Orange Signature services including Orange TV Player, Orange Maps, Orange Messenger and the Orange Application Shop. The inclusion of SIM-secured contactless capabilities will lay the foundations for Orange to enable a tranche of new services from partners in the future, ranging from mobile payment to ticketing and transportation.

In a separate release:BARCELONA -- Orange is today launching two new and exclusive Orange Homescreen developments, Orange Gestures and Orange Live Wallpapers, for Android smartphones[2]. Orange Gestures provides 27 designs which users can assign to an action or application, such as speed dialling, sending a text to a specific contact or launching a weather widget or a game. There is no need to scroll, search or click through multiple steps in order to launch an application or more importantly, an action within an application.

For example, if Rachel texts her best friend Alison frequently, once a gesture is assigned to this action Rachel can draw a square, which launches a text to Alison; alternatively, drawing a heart will automatically enable Bob to phone his wife, without having to access his phone screen or address book.

For the first time, Orange Live Wallpapers have taken the concept of ‘live’ wallpapers one step further by integrating the actual functionality of a specific application into the dynamic aesthetic of the wallpaper design itself, making them much smarter than standard designs. The first of these ‘smart’ wallpapers to launch in Q2 2011 is Orange Candles, a photorealistic candle that burns down in six stages, giving a true indication of battery life[3]. The design is also reactive; the flame flickers as a user scrolls from left to right. Five more designs will be rolled out across Orange Android Signature smartphones in 2011, allowing customers to choose a homescreen experience that matches their style and needs.

In a separate release:BARCELONA -- Orange today announced a new ‘opt-out’ approach for all new smartphone consumer customers. This ‘opt-out’ is a safetyguard for all new smartphone consumer adopters and will be available across the Orange European footprint – by summer 2011. New customers will be given default data roaming packages at the point of purchase – ensuring that customers will never pay more than €2 for 2MB in Europe. This is already in place in Spain and Switzerland.

In addition, the successful Travel Data Daily bundles from its Orange Travel portfolio of roaming services will be extended with a new bundle for consumer customers with greater data demand – €15 for 50 MB per day - available across the majority of Orange’s European markets[5], by summer 2011, for smartphone, tablet and laptop users.

The ‘opt-out’ and new offer builds on the successful roll-out of its €2 for 2MB Travel Daily Data bundle, launched at last year’s Mobile World Congress, now available in 11 countries[6] and with a following of over one million customers in its first year. Orange also confirms the availability of another Travel Data Daily bundle - €5 for 10MB in five countries[7], originally launched in 2010 specifically for iPhone and tablet consumer customers in France. The inclusion of three daily data roaming bundles to the Orange Travel portfolio, allows Orange customers to roam across the European Union using smartphones, tablets and laptops more freely than ever before.

Orange France