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Orange brings free WiFi to W Cape

Bonnie Tubbs
By Bonnie Tubbs, ITWeb telecoms editor.
Johannesburg, 20 Nov 2014
The Western Cape WiFi move is a major step towards introducing Orange as an ISP in SA, says Orange's Sebastien Crozier.
The Western Cape WiFi move is a major step towards introducing Orange as an ISP in SA, says Orange's Sebastien Crozier.

French mobile operator Orange has taken another step towards entrenching its consumer business in SA, this morning announcing its WiFi service, in partnership with the City of Cape Town.

Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille this morning announced a partnership with Orange whereby inhabitants of Western Cape townships Khayelitsha and Mitchell's Plain will be given free WiFi services.

S'ebastien Crozier, MD of the operator's local consumer division Orange Horizons, says the WiFi project will be rolled out in two phases. The first phase, he says, will offer free WiFi to anyone with a WiFi-enabled device. "Users will get a free bundle per day to use as they please." The second phase of the project will involve a combination of pay services and free WiFi.

WiFi focus

This comes almost two years after the French telco, which has a strong African presence with assets in 16 countries, started its consumer foray in SA - with the ultimate view to launching as a fully-fledged mobile virtual network operator.

SA has been earmarked as a top priority for the company as it seeks to expand its footprint across the continent.

Earlier this year, Orange announced it had quietly launched a WiFi pilot in the tourism hub of Cape Town, which is one of its initial focus areas.

At the time, Crozier said the project, in collaboration with travel agency African Eagle, was only one of the WiFi projects Orange had up its sleeve. WiFi hotspots, he said, were top of Orange's agenda. Ultimately, Orange wants to provide WiFi access to international customers travelling to SA, as well as to local customers.

Digital responsibility

Crozier says the latest WiFi project is aimed at "bridging the evident digital divide in SA and Africa", and providing Internet access to populations that have been largely disconnected up to now.

He says the project is important for the company, which strives to position its brand as having a strong corporate social responsibility component. "These types of projects are very much in line with our vision of a world where Internet access is available to all."

Crozier says Orange is looking for new opportunities to extend its public WiFi offerings in SA.

The Western Cape township initiative unveiled this morning is part of a larger plan for the telecoms services provider, says Crozier. "This project is a major step in introducing Orange as an ISP [Internet service provider] in SA, and will be key in finalising the offers that will be launched nationwide in the months to come."

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