View Full Version : Microsoft endorse Orange 3G DataCard
From ZDNet UK (19/07/2004)
"Britain's third-generation mobile market turned much more competitive today, as Orange threw its 3G network open to commercial users and T-Mobile tried to steal Orange's thunder with the launch of its own 3G service.
Orange is offering a high-speed data card for laptops that will let mobile workers get a Web connection or access the corporate network while out of the office.
According to official figures, Orange's 3G network provides coverage to about 66 percent of the UK population.
With unlimited access costing £75 per month, the Orange Mobile Office card is significantly cheaper than Vodafone's rival 3G service, which charges £10 a month more for a capped service. Analysts have already predicted that competition in the 3G market will push prices down.
"I can't believe they [Vodafone] will keep pricing that is so uncompetitive, especially when we are seeing other players coming in with something similar, but so much cheaper," Stephanie Pittet, mobile and wireless analyst at Gartner, told ZDNet UK last month.
Orange's 3G service has been tested by a number of companies during recent months, including Microsoft.
Microsoft's trial of the Orange Mobile Office card has gone well, according to insiders, who were impressed with the service's 3G coverage.
Steve Harvey, Microsoft's director of people and culture, said in a statement that "the Mobile Office Card has provided an efficient way for employees to access the internet from their laptops when out of the office".
The formal launch of Orange's 3G network was overshadowed somewhat on Monday by the surprise news that T-Mobile had also launched its first third-generation service. Its data cards will provide unlimited access to T-Mobile's 3G and GPRS networks and its Wi-Fi hot spots for £70 per month.
However, T-Mobile's 3G network offers a top speed of only 128Kbps at present, compared to 384Kbps for Vodafone and Orange. This is expected to increase during the coming months."
FULL STORY: http://news.zdnet.co.uk/communications/3ggprs/0,39020339,39160933,00.htm
From everything I have read about Orange 3G it sounds great.
You mean apart from the Z1010 not being available until 1st September :mad:
I don't think the z1010 will be any good but the LG 8150 looks good.
I don't doubt it waz, I may even go with that as it is smaller. As long as I can video call with I'll be a happy fella.
Does anyone know what the launch phones will be?
I've heard Z1010, LG 8110 and possibly the LG8150.
A fantastic thread that I think should be a sticky.
http://www.3g.co.uk/3GForum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6788.
The handsets you have said should be released at launch but I don't think they should release the 8110 if they are going to release the 8150. Them releasing both isnt a good sign as undoubtly there will be a pretty big price differance meaning the 8150 will carry a heavty price tag.
They need to be keenly priced not heavy. To put a phone at a daft price will send people to 3, voda or t-mobile.
I think Voda and Orange will have quite high but similar prices when launched. But I am not certain as you can tell Orange and Voda are afriad of three, you can see this with the priceplans they offer to people who are going to 3.
But in a competitive market like telecommunications you have to have a good plan to entice people back and preserve your current customer base.
One thing that I've noticed as well on Orange is that they have started the two year contract. This gives new customers £50 off a new phone and 10% off your monthly plan every month for two years. You may not see this as an incentive but it's aimed at enticing people to Orange and I expect it to be pushed more when they launch commercial 3G services.
I expect (on a personal basis only) Orange will do Video minute packages or the chance to have half your bundled minutes as video with the other remaining as talk time.
Additional packages are going to make more money for the company this way.
Orange will only be launching the SonyEricsson Z1010 and the LG U-8150. They are not in the 3G business to build a customer base as they already are the biggest mobile company in the UK with 14.5 million subscribers on GSM. They will be using 3G to deliver value added services to tech savvy customers hungry for additional functionality/content and who are prepared to pay for it!
Thats not exactly great news, as they won't be offering 3 and voda beating prices.
Well the crazy pricing has to come to an end sometime. With 4 independent networks all charging about the same before the arrival of 3 it figures that they all must have bottomed out in terms of price levels. A new entrant will always push the bounderies to get share but that is'nt sustainable as costs etc are pretty similar and somewhere along the line commercal companies have to make a return.
The big 4 have a huge GSM customer base to shore up profits and can invest in selling 3G as a premium product. 3 have no such luxury and have to give away en masse just to get to 1 million.... getting to 3-4 million will cost them a fortune! Great news for the time being but enjoy it while you can as the bubble has to burst at some point.
I'm sorry I don't believe all this guff about Orange not wanting to make anything from 3G. Vodafone are going to, 3 do. Orange are the biggest GSM network and so would want to grow bigger still,
They paid a high price for a license and not to recoup anything from DOES NOT make any sense.
Of course they want to recoup their investment but what's the point of recouping it by migrating GSM customers who would have been quite happy with voice/data services on that!
My point is that Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile have a different strategy from 3UK. They dont need a new network to sign up voice customers. They will use 3G to increase their range of services and target them where they think they can get the best revenue streams from. That might be music downloads for teens, business data services, video for business, and other applications that have yet to be discovered.
The point is it does not make any sense for the GSM licence holders to use their high capacity/high speed 3G networks to fend off competition from 3 for voice calls, they can do that (if they want to) with GSM, leaving all the lovely 3G bandwidth for applications where the technolgy can really make a difference. They'll make some cash if/when they are successful at marketing new services that the 3G capabilities can deliver more efficiently and economically to users who appreciate their value.
Gunner
19-07-2004, 10:59 PM
Exactly, the point isn't to migrate users from one technology to another, the point is to use the technology to offer features not practical on current GSM networks and increase ARPU.
Well guys we'll just have to agree to disagree ;)
roger ellis
08-08-2004, 10:28 AM
I have been using the Orange 3G card for a week with a Sony Vaio Notebook. and am generally not pleased. I have tried to use it in Chester (GPRS no 3G) Liverpool airport (3G and good) and Belfast (GPRS no 3G).
From my limited experience of 3G at Liverpool Airpoprt it seemed good but GPRS is poor and erratic and not as good as my P900 phone (also Orange).
Typically the card cannot find anything on its first pass and an irritating box appears asking if you want to try again. I always do and generally a link is established.
Another operation is then required to get into the net. This works about 50% with either the specified home page or a long box saying that it not available together with a set of unhelpful suggestions.
A further complication which may be a function of the Vaio or some interactive effect between Windows and Orange is that the notebook closes down with an incomprehensible message saying that Administrator has determined that this should happen due to connection problem. The closing down and restarting process takes so long that it usually means the session is terminated.
I intend to keep trying but look forward to Orange improving the service considerably. The trainers in two orange shops are charming but admit total ignorance of the new service. They promise things will get better.
Anyone have any comments?
Roger
Gunner
08-08-2004, 03:32 PM
I've heard reception being a problem on all datacards. The Voda one comes with a long extension wire does it not?
Irritating, especially as the whole point is to be connected on the move.
Oranges choice of software may also cause problems. I have not experienced it myself, but if Microsoft have endorsed the setup then surely it's full of bugs ;) Still, the first round of software updates should surely come soon - new drivers etc may even be available via Windows Update.
Dai_Griff
08-08-2004, 04:03 PM
Glad to see someone on another 3G network having problems.
I say bin the data card and use a 3G phone instead. They are ace!
Gunner
08-08-2004, 05:45 PM
That is, of course, assuming the 3G phone has data access - kinda essential if you own a datacard.
It's never good to see anyone having problems. Whatever their network.
roger ellis
09-08-2004, 06:21 AM
Here is an update on my Orange Office card experience. Last night at home outside Belfast GPRS reception seemed OK (no 3G) but couldnt get in to any web sites. The irritating long message appeared for everything despite strong reception. Now at Belfast international Airport with moderate GPRS reception and no 3G. Access to web is excellent. Go figure!
Suiggestion re windows updates is noted.
Thanks all who replied and keep them coming.
Roger