Orange has signed a partnership with Nashua Mobile that will expand its South African presence through several physical retail outlets in the country.
The partnership is a logical next step for Orangem following the launch of an e-commerce store and an online portal designed specifically for the South African market in January.
The agreement with Nashua Mobile will allow Orange to extend its business, which is currently based exclusively on the online commercialisation of specialist electronic and telecoms-related products, to the provision of a fully-fledged in-store service throughout South Africa – complete with support for travellers, both inbound and outbound.
“This is another world first for Orange, in which South Africa is the first market where this is being implemented. 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, targeted South Africa as a key entry market in the African space and today’s announcement is an important step forward in our overall development strategy,” says Sébastien Crozier, CEO of Orange Horizons.
Nashua Mobile CEO Mark Taylor says the partnership will benefit locals as well as foreign customers of Orange.
“Nashua Mobile is one of South Africa’s largest independent telecommunications service providers, and we’re delighted to provide the first physical presence here for Orange,” he says. “The partnership showcases the continued expansion of both companies and offers local and international customers greater choice and service.”
The first Nashua Mobile stores to incorporate Orange products and an in-store Orange-brand presence will be in Sandton City in Johannesburg, Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria and both Icon Centre and Canal Walk in Cape Town. All products will also be available through the online store for travellers not passing through these areas.
Both the online and physical stores will offer SIM cards from the Orange footprint, starting with France and Botswana. These will be marketed in particular for professionals or tourists travelling from South Africa to countries in which Orange is already present. This will allow travellers to be able to better prepare their journeys, like having their local phone number before their trip.
For example, South Africans going to France will be able to purchase:
* The “Mobicarte Holiday” package, which is a prepaid SIM card that functions on Orange’s French network.
This offer, which has a validity of 14 days after activation, includes two hours of calls and 300 SMS to any destination in the world from France allowing South African customers to stay in touch with home at an affordable price; data access including 500Mb of mobile data and unlimited access to the 30 000 WiFi hotspots in France allowing customers to surf the Internet and social networks while travelling; unlimited access to Orange Maps and a GPS navigation system;
* Prepaid SIM cards and top-up vouchers for those not necessarily wanting to be able to call home or surf on their smartphones while in France; and
* “Le domino”, a mobile hotspot allowing customers to connect up to five devices to a personal WiFi network giving full Internet access over the Orange 3G network in France, with 500 Mb already included over one month.
In Nashua Mobile stores, the Orange corners will also offer services to those Orange customers travelling to South Africa, starting with customers originating from France and Botswana.
“Nashua Mobile has more than 150 retail outlets and more of those stores will roll out the Orange brand over time. The company’s focus is on saving its customers time and money, so cutting communication costs when they travel abroad is a key part of that goal.
“The advice and solutions available from Nashua Mobile will give Orange clients landing in South Africa or South Africans heading into Orange territory the best and cheapest possible services,” Taylor says.