| | Orange had an ambitious aim when it launched in April 1994 to become the first choice in mobile communications. As the fourth company to enter an already crowded marketplace, it needed to establish itself as radically different if it was to succeed.
In April 1996 Orange plc shares were listed on the London and NASDAQ markets, its initial public offering being ten times oversubscribed. In June 1996 Orange plc became the youngest company to enter the FTSE-100, and was valued at £2.4 billion.
By July 1997 Orange had gained 1 million customers. It also had the lowest churn rate, better margins than its competitors, and top ratings for customer satisfaction.
Having established a strong presence in the UK as the countrys fastest growing mobile communications company, Orange began its international expansion. In 1998, Orange Communications SA was awarded a GSM 1800 license in Switzerland, and launched its service in June 1999. Twelve months later, Orange took the number two spot in Switzerland.
In 1999, having launched Orange in Belgium as well as licensing its brand in countries as diverse as Hong Kong and Israel, the company was sold by Hutchinson Telecom to Mannesmann AG before being acquired in August 2000 by France Telecom.
Today, this makes Orange is one of the worlds leading communications companies. The Group serves more than 170 million customers in five continents, of which two thirds are Orange mobile customers (109.6 million). It is Europe's largest broadband provider with 11.6 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers, and is Britains No1 VOIP provider with more than 150,000 users.
Orange Business Services is present in 166 countries with network reach in 220 countries and territories. It serves one million businesses with mobile solutions.
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