LONDON, February 11 /PRNewswire/ --
-- S60, Microsoft Windows and Access Join new Orange Signature Accelerator Programme
Orange today announces its Signature Accelerator Programme, advancing its successful Signature strategy, which first launched in 2002. This new move by Orange will enable unequalled support for application development across key mobile platforms, in order to provide customers with richer, more intuitive multimedia services and faster delivery of mobile devices. Leading platform partners, S60 on Symbian OS, Microsoft Windows and ACCESS Linux Platform are part of Orange's new initiative, which standardises the way developers build new mobile services for Orange's Signature devices. As well as improving time to market, the programme also enables Orange to work with these partners on new applications such as mobile TV, music and location-based services from the grass-roots to final stages, ensuring smarter, more intuitive mobile experiences for customers.
"Orange was the first operator to drive an open platform approach in the mobile industry, starting with Microsoft and the delivery of the first ever Windows Smartphone," said Yves Maitre, Senior VP Devices, Orange. "Since launching the Signature portfolio of devices with this handset over six years ago, our investment in this strategy has never ceased. In fact, it has accelerated in response to a rapidly changing mobile landscape and most importantly, to the needs of our customers. "Yves adds, "The year 2007 was the pinnacle for change in the mobile industry, and this shift change underlines our belief that an open approach was right from the very start."
The Orange Signature Accelerator Programme is the first of its kind in the industry, providing Orange with the deepest level of integration with its device manufacturers and application developers in order to build exclusive services for its Signature range of handsets. The first phones produced by Orange Accelerator will be available in the second quarter of 2008. Orange will soon be extending the Programme to Java and other environments and will invite more premier developers to create unique Orange services.
Orange Accelerator gives selected application partners privileged access to current and forthcoming software platforms. At its heart is a standardised process, supported by Orange's software engineers, which aims to cut the cost and time required to develop, test and launch applications. Handset makers and application developers will benefit from a single point of contact at Orange, which will manage relationships between them.
For consumers, the Programme will deliver a broader range of service-rich devices to suit their needs, all within the familiar user interface (UI) and handset experience of Orange's successful Signature portfolio, which currently includes 70 handsets and represents 70% of all device shipments.
"At Orange, we know our customers want smarter, more intuitive services on their mobiles, whether that is an email, access to their photo albums, or their favourite music tracks. As Orange builds closer relationships with its partners and harnesses advances in technology, we are able to deliver richer services, faster, such as mobile HDTV," says Yves Maitre, Senior VP, Devices at Orange. "To provide the best possible experience for our customers, in a climate of rapid innovation and increasingly open and complex OS platforms, we are taking a completely unique approach with the new Orange Signature Accelerator Programme."
We are very pleased to see the launch of Orange Accelerator Program today, as it further demonstrates Orange's firm commitment towards their Platform Strategy," said Matti Vänskä, VP of Mobile Software Sales & Marketing, Nokia. "Orange has established an efficient model to help developers make the most of our platform, we are happy to work with Orange and their developer partners to ensure a smooth implementation of a competitive service offering on top of our industry leading multi-vendor platform. We believe this will give developers a unique chance to develop applications for S60 Smartphones from several leading handset manufacturers for Orange Signature portfolio."
"ACCESS' close collaboration with Orange is directly aligned with our shared vision of what customers' want today," said Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder, ACCESS. "In an increasingly competitive mobile industry, success hinges on the ability to provide users with a customised experience, giving them the services, features and content they want. ACCESS has a successful track record of working closely with our partners to speed time-to-market and develop best-in-class solutions. The Orange Application Package for ACCESS Linux Platform leverages the flexibility and adaptability of our platform to provide a suite of applications that will make it possible to deliver a unique experience to Orange's subscribers."
In addition to the leading platform provider Microsoft Windows, the Orange Signature Accelerator programme also unites application developers Abaxia, Bluestreak, Surfkitchen NewBay, Musiwave and PacketVideo in the delivery of customised Signature services.
"The Orange Signature Accelerator Programme answers the growing consumer demand for richer, more personalized media services," said James C. Brailean, Ph.d., CEO of PacketVideo (PV). We will continue to deliver compelling multimedia services which help increase Orange's revenues with PV's CORE(TM) client multimedia framework, a sophisticated software solution that enables Orange to offer such features as fast-channel changing, time-shifted television viewing, and more. It's the ideal model to get new features to market quickly and it changes the way we collaborate with Orange and its developer partners."
About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than 170 million customers in five continents as of December 31, 2007, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The Group had consolidated sales of 52.9 billion euros in 2007. As of December 31, 2007, the Group had 109.6 million mobile customers and 11.6 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.
Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006, Orange became the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information: http://www.orange.com, http://www.francetelecom.com, http://www.orange-business.com
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.
For press information, please contact: Carolyn Owen, +44-7891-641-008, carolyn.owen@orange-ftgroup.com; Georgina Hart, +44-7730-989-693, georgina.hart@orange-ftgroup.com; Tom Jennings, +44-20-7344-1512, tom.jennings@edelman.com
