axxxr
Joined: Mar 21, 2003
Posts: > 500
From: Londinium
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At launch, Orange are claiming their 2.5G/3G network will be the most extensive in the UK, covering 66% of the population which in real terms means major cities and some of the major interconnections are bathed in 3G signal. This is a touch on the spin side of things: they have edged ahead of Vodafone in terms of coverage, but latest figures from Three are claiming 77% of the population have 3G coverage. The Orange figure is justified by being "integrated", so when the 3G signal disappears, the handover to 2G should be seamless. With Three, the handover from Three to mmO2 is anything but.
On a related note, Three remain unable to build a business case to support offering pure data connections to subscribers and are waiting to see how the offerings from Orange and Vodafone work out. Someone PLEASE hit them with the clue stick!
Some details on the Orange offering, then. Orange are only launching their data services in July. 3G phones will be arriving in the UK and France "later the year", with Sony Ericsson and LG providing the handsets, so my prediction about LG was almost right. Vodafone will also be launching phone service with a similar line-up in the Autumn. 3G data on Orange will also be available when roaming in Spain, Italy, Germany and France, although the pricing structure for that hasn't been given.
Orange will be using the Merlin U530 data Wireless PC Modem Card from Lucent Technologies and Novatel Wireless (PDF datasheet here). This should work easily in Windows laptops, but their may be some additional effort required for Apple and Linux users.
Now the interesting part: the costs!
Pay as you consume Low Medium High 1GB (AKA 'unlimited')
Data Card (ex. VAT) £255 £170 £128 £110 £85
Monthly access fee n/a £10 £20 £45 £75
Monthly Bundle (MB) n/a 7MB 65MB 400MB n/a (fair usage)
Out of bundles rates (per MB) £2.00 £1.50 £1.00 £0.50 n/a
In comparison to existing GPRS costs, pricing is similar up to the ~12MB usage level, and then increasingly better value the more you use. No doubt in reaction to Vodafone's pricing, Orange are undercutting them, and by a fair margin even on the promotional offers.
OK, so we're nowhere close to the eat-all-you-want GPRS bundles offered in the States and some Nordic countries, but then we are looking at essentially broadband speeds. Optimal conditions should see 384k downstream and 128k upstream. This is the true beginning of the mobile desktop. With WiFi's limited, and often expensive, niche in the UK market, Orange will have customers lining up to subscribe right now. £75/month on a mobile phone bill of someone who spends their days on the move is really not much. In fact, even compared to some fixed line broadband offerings, it's only twice as expensive as some usage-capped services. This really should see the Orange network lit up.
Ladies and gentlemen, the mobile revolution is now taking the next big step!
[addsig] |
Posted: 2004-07-02 02:56
