Friday, May 22, 2009

Orange Officially Launches in Uganda With Shaggy Concert

Orange Uganda is to officially launch its services to the public with a carnival named the Orange Street Carnival that will be graced with performances by American-based international artiste Shaggy. According to Orange's Head of Branding and Communication in Uganda Anisha Ssekatawa, the event will provide a chance for the public to celebrate Orange's introduction to the ever-expanding telecommunication industry. At a press conference held in Kampala on Thursday, Ms Sekatawa said the company will give away prizes worth Shs30 million.

Orange Uganda is a jointly owned by France Telecom Group (FTG) and Hits Telecom that got a licence in 2007.  Last year France telecom acquired 50% of the stake in Hits Telecom Uganda.  The company commissioned its mobile network on March 11 under the Orange brand, promising quality standards. France Telecoms Group (FTG) has operations in 15 African countries and is one of the world's largest telecommunications companies present in 220 countries with a combined mobile customer base of 122 million.

Orange is the latest entrant into the Ugandan telecom industry, which is also serviced by MTN, Zain, Uganda Telecom and Warid Telecom. Mobile phone penetration in Uganda is expected to increase from 39 per cent in 2009 to 70.7 per cent by 2014, a recent report from Communications Markets in Uganda says .

Orange Uganda has committed 200 million (US$253 million) over the coming three years, with the GSM network to be expanded to provide nationwide coverage, as well as 3G services. Orange Uganda's launch offers include a national flat rate per second or per minute, a range of international tariffs and a call-back service. 3G broadband will be offered within the next few months.

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