Orange has taken another step towards entrenching its presence in SA by sponsoring the WiFi at a new French school campus that has just opened its doors in Tafelberg, Cape Town.
Inaugurated yesterday by Cape Town premier Helen Zille and the French ambassador to SA, Elisabeth Barbier, the French primary campus - part of the Ecole Francaise du Cap group of schools - is able to accommodate up to 400 pupils and is accredited by the French Ministry of Education.
The corporate social responsibility move comes as the French telco seeks to expand its WiFi footprint in SA and introduce itself as an Internet service provider (ISP).
S'ebastien Crozier, CEO of the company's local consumer-facing business, Orange Horizons, says the latest project "deepens the brand's commitment to being a WiFi provider in SA". He reiterates Africa is a key market for Orange in terms of growth, commitment and expansion.
Crozier says Orange hopes the WiFi network provided to the Cape school will facilitate e-learning through a "dedicated, secure, high-speed network". Students and teachers, he explains, will be able to sign into the Orange network using credentials provided to them.
"[In addition to] our contribution to the educational environment in SA, we see this project as a further step in introducing the brand as an ISP in the country."
Although it has long-term plans to penetrate the local consumer market, Orange currently has a limited presence, through a local online store and warehouse, local offices and WiFi-related projects.
Putting its ultimate ambition of becoming a fully-fledged mobile virtual network provider in SA on hold - something Crozier says is inhibited by a lack of competition and regulatory hurdles - Orange recently shifted its course, steering its focus in the direction of WiFi offerings.
Earlier this year, Orange revealed details around another Cape-based WiFi project, an in-transit service with travel agency African Eagle, one of the major inbound tour operators in Southern and Eastern Africa.
"We will continue to gauge consumer reaction so we know exactly how to go forward in the country," Crozier recently said.
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