Orange unveils telecom services in Uganda

Orange Telecom has become the fifth telecommunications company to start commercial operations in Uganda. Orange, a subsidiary of the France Telecom (FT) Group unveiled its operations to the Ugandan public on 10 March, following a two-year establishment struggle under the Hits Telecom brand.

Hits, now the minority shareholder with a 47% stake in the company, had a rough time launching the network until 2008 when it sealed a deal with France Telecom to fast-track its operations and investment. Orange now operates in 15 African countries

While launching its 079 network services in Kampala, Phillippe Luxcey, chief executive officer Orange Uganda promised quality communication services to Ugandans: “People and services are the very core of our business and some of the values that define our business are friendly, straightforward and honest.”

The firm kicked off offering Ugandans a flat rate or UGX310 for calls from Orange to Orange and to all other local networks a few shillings cheaper than its competitors. On its international tariff plan, it is charging shs800 for calls to the rest of the world and UGX420 for calls to Kenyan networks. Until March 2009, Ugandans were served by MTN Uganda, Zain and Warid Uganda.