The company’s chief executive, Hans Snook, stated that “Orange is putting into place the basis of an enormously powerful Internet based platform capable of taking wire-free communications beyond two dimensional voice and data into intelligent, interactive responses to individual customer needs”.
The new initiative will comprise research and development wings called ‘Orange Imagineering’ which will support technology start-up projects.
Orange, which is the UK’s third-largest mobile phone service, is also currently negotiating the possibility of entering into a deal to give a fixed line operator access to its mobile phone network. In return, Orange would take a share of any additional revenue raised by the operator as a result of the transaction.
It also claims that through this arrangement it would “gain reciprocal access to [the fixed line] network at wholesale rates, accelerating the development of integrated solutions”. Orange has not revealed the identity of the other parties involved in the discussions.