---

Orange extends South Africa footprint

19 June 2013

French telecommunications operator Orange and South Africa's Nashua Mobile have signed an agreement to expand the firm's South African footprint by opening several local retail outlets.

Orange entered the South African market in January when it launched an e-commerce store and online portal.

The new agreement will extend Orange's reach to a fully-fledged in-store service throughout the country, with support for inbound and outbound travellers.

"This is another world first for Orange in which South Africa is the first market where this is being implemented," Orange Horizons chief executive officer, Sebastien Crozier, said in a statement last week.

"Orange Horizons, Orange's subsidiary for seeking out new business opportunities in countries where the group is not already present as a mass-market telecommunications provider, target South Africa as a key entry market in the African space and [the agreement] is an important step forward in our overall development strategy."

The first Nashua Mobile stores with Orange products and brand presence are Sandton City in Johannesburg, Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria and the Icon Centre and Canal Walk in Cape Town; the products will also all be available through the online store.

'Showcasing continued expansion'

"This partnership showcases the continued expansion of both companies and offers local and international companies greater choice and service," said Nashua Mobile CEO Mark Taylor.

Services include both the online and physical stores offering SIM cards from the Orange footprint, beginning with France and Botswana, for professionals and tourists travelling to countries that Orange already operates in.

Nashua Mobile stores will also offer services to Orange customers in South Africa, such as SIM card replacement and the activation of international services, again starting with customers from Botswana and France.

"Nashua Mobile offers a large network of some 150 selling partners strategically placed across South Africa, as well as an exceptionally strong brand presence and customer loyalty thanks to their quality of service and expert product knowledge," Crozier said.

"Orange already offers to its roaming customers great deals across its entire footprint, but we will now be able to offer services in a physical space for French and Botswana customers visiting South Africa, where the group is not present as an operator.

"In addition, South Africans will be able to better prepare their trips abroad by subscribing to services offered by Orange France or Orange Botswana before they have even left home," he said.

The "Mobicarte Holiday" package, for instance, offers a prepaid SIM card valid for 14 days after activation and includes two hours of phone calls and 300 SMS to any destination in the world.

It also includes 500-megabytes of mobile data and unlimited access to 30 000 WiFi hotspots in France and to GPS navigation systems, Orange Maps.

SAinfo reporter