LONDON-U.K. wireless operator Orange plc announced a $752 million wireless Internet strategy, including numerous acquisitions, investments, partnerships and content agreements.
Dubbed OrangeWorld, the initiative aims to take “wirefree communications beyond two-dimensional voice and data and into intelligent interactive response to individual customer requests and the provision of individualized services and packages of services,” said Hans Snook, group chief executive of Orange.
As part of the announcements, Orange acquired Wildfire Communications Inc. for $142.5 million and took a 25-percent stake in NewsTakes for $6.3 million. Orange acquired U.K. news outlet Ananova Ltd. last week also for $142.5 million.
“Wildfire and Ananova, alongside Orange.net, are at the heart of OrangeWorld,” said Snook. Orange has used Wildfire’s virtual personal assistant technology for about a year.
Orange also announced a host of partnership agreements with content providers such as Airflash for location-based services, Rage for games and the University of Ulster for telemedicine.
The company also said it plans to sign an agreement with a national fixed-line operator for a reciprocal virtual network operation. “You can expect similar deals between Orange and the cable operators,” said Snook.
France Telecom acquired Orange last month from the combined Vodafone AirTouch plc/Mannesmann AG. The French carrier’s worldwide mobile interests were then combined under the New Orange name.
