T-Orange puts names on dotted lines T-Mobile and Orange have signed their merger agreement, paving the way for the new operator to come into existence next year. After spending a mere two months in due diligence T-Mobile and Orange have put their names to the merger contract that will see the operators combine operations into a new entity to be jointly owned by …
I think we all know that France Télécom are the stronger partner in this merger (given that Deutsche Telekom have tried and failed to offload their UK unit), and as nearly all of FT's entire consumer facing operation is branded Orange, then it will be the Orange brand that continues. Even with the damage done to the brand by the pisspoor Wanadoo merger, I believe it is still salvageable.
I have no doubt that this is just a ploy for FT to get the bandwidth/customers/cellsites on the cheap and that they will eventually shove DT out of the company, the same way they managed to leverage Orange Group plc's shareholders out to take outright control of Orange in the first place. If I was an employee of T-Mobile, I would be somewhat worried.
I have been an Orange mobile customer for 9 years and have enjoyed faultless service in all that time. However, the employers have provided me with phones from various operators, currently O2, and I can only describe the service where I work (from the UK's largest operator) as patchy, and often have to resort to making calls on my own Orange mobile which is rarely out of signal.
I'm pretty gutted about this merger
I was with orange and the service, both in the air and on the ground was lousy. When driving it was unusual not to get cut off at some point and reception around the area I live (which used to be good) seemed to get worse and worse. The comedy of calling support to complain and getting cut of several times was lost on me.
After trying to call a taxi for 3 hours with no network service on new years eve, while everyone around me were making and receiving calls I chucked my phone in a pint and used a land line.
A few days later I called nOrange and was on hold for literally 2 hours, I had a call plan so just left it on hands free, after 2 hours I hung up without even being answered.
I then paid my contract off (hmm, they don't provide the service but I have to pay to get out of the contract, wankers) and went to T-Mobile. The service could not have been more opposite, immediate call answering from the business support unit, great deal, they even called me back after emailing a question. Superb service, even now a few years down the support unit is great.
What now?? Will I wind up with the worst of orange or the best of T-Mobile?? Who do I escape to next??
I'm at a loss as to why people seem determined to state that Orange has rubbish coverage and that this deal is going to ruin T-mobile.
Orange has the best 3G coverage of all the operators in the UK. Fact. OFCOM states this is so. To argue that it doesn't have the best coverage just makes you look like an idiot, with your head in the sand, with no understanding of the market (AC I'm looking at you!)
Yes Orange has had a record of poor customer service but since Tom Alexander took charge he has been driven to improve an area of the business that was genuinely poor. The fact that Orange is now moving up the JD Power survey is testiment to that turn around.
As to what the Brand will be, it's difficult to see how the T-mobile brand can remain in the long term. Orange is twice the size of T-mobile in almost every respect (Network coverage, stores, employees, revenues, the list could go on) and FT's plan is consolidate the Orange brand across it's enterprises in Europe. T-mobile simply isn't big enough to compete (probably the reason why DT has been looking to palm off the business for couple of years).
In all this is a good deal for T-mobile, in that they remain solvent, and a good deal for Orange (or FT) who want to build upon their customer base. Win Win I'd say.
Considering Orange and T-mobile merged in the Netherlands (or Orange bought them out, i cant remember) and stuck with the Orange name, i would imagine they'd do the same thing here.
however, I'm hoping their not going to mess too much with the networks. I have great t-mobile coverage where i live, but on the other side of town the orange coverage is far superior. Here's hoping that they keep the best of both.
@hugh i also believe the name should be T-Mange!
"I'm at a loss as to why people seem determined to state that Orange has rubbish coverage and that this deal is going to ruin T-mobile."
I'm not at a loss, I'm speaking from years of experience. Ofcom figures can say what they like, and in the old days orange service did used to beat the rest hands down. But in the real world it simply is not the case any longer.
I know a lot of people, including companies that have moved away from nOrange. I had intended to get out of the contract for 2 previous renewals, but good offers and shiny phones kept me in. My mistake.
"To argue that it doesn't have the best coverage just makes you look like an idiot"
To keep with a phone company that offers poor REAL WORLD coverage and terrible customer service (and after years of it why on earth would I want to give them another chance) really is stupid
I love all these references to the "real world" and Ofcom figures, and so on and so forth, to my poor little brain the merger breaks down as follows:
Areas that already have good signal for both Orange and T-Mobile will most likely get slightly worse coverage, as extra masts will be decomissioned, whilst usage will increase.
Areas with good Orange coverage and bad T-Mobile coverage will lead to better cover for old T-mobile and worse for old-Orange, and visa versa.
Please feel free to tell me I'm wrong ;-)
There you go again - 'I'm speaking from years of experience' - It's well known and documented that Orange has been a poorly performing company in the past but we're talking several years ago now and that position is not the case today.
Orange is a very different company to what it was 5 or even 2 years ago and this deal is going to be good for both parties.
Orange does have the best network coverage and there's no arguing with that.
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