Telecoms providers: Orange Business Services UK, a full-service offering for the corporate customer

Orange Business Services is a global provider of business communication equipment and services. Enjoying a global footprint and one of the most comprehensive offerings on the market, “OBS” as they are known within the industry are partners of choice for many large corporations and SMEs alike in the UK for their IT and communication needs. Since the merger with T-Mobile UK, most services for consumers and small companies are now operated by EE, while multinational companies can still get in touch with Orange Business Services.

I)  Orange Business services UK, much more than a telecommunications solutions provider

 Orange Business Services is one of the biggest global B2B IT and communication solutions provider. Besides common broadband, mobile and phone communication services and hardware providing, continuous R&D efforts enable the company to provide multinational clients in the UK with many value-added services.

1)  Three areas of expertise

Orange Business Services UK provides its customers with a vast array of IT and telecom solutions, more specifically in three areas of expertise:

- Customer experience: solutions include multichannel CRMs, call centres, network management, IVRs...;

- Big data and analytics to get valuable insights into corporate processes and customer needs;

- Machine to machine communications to service IT equipment in order to improve business processes, increase productivity and cut costs.

2)  Multinational clients in key industries

Orange Business Services UK has developed a dense customer portfolio over the years, with several industries highly represented:

-Air transport;

-Oil and gas;

-Finance;

-Shipping;

-Health;

-E-government.

II)  Historical phone and broadband customers now taken care of by EE

SMEs should however not be surprised if they fail to find Orange-branded offerings to cover their simple business broadband, mobile and phone line needs. The brand is actually being phased out in favour of EE, the latest outcome in a long, complex history of mergers and takeovers.

1)  A complex corporate history, now ending with the EE brand name

Although the Orange brand was first launched in the UK in 1990, it became a gloabl brand after it was acquired by Hutchison Whampoa, the holdings controlled by Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-shing and turned into a global brand.

After France Telecom took over the brand in 1999, Orange UK merged with competitor T-Mobile UK to give birth to EE, a UK-only company and brand dealing with most historical clients of both incepting brands. 2015 should mark the end of Orange as a brand in the UK, before EE discontinues the use of this brand name.

2)  Legacy support

Consumers, small and medium businesses and corporations formerly served by Orange will nonetheless get legacy support from EE for all their contracts related to broadband, mobile phone and landlines formerly managed by Orange UK.

Orange e-mail addresses provided by Orange Business Services UK will still work, and be managed by EE. Large multinational corporations in the UK may still contact Orange Business Services UK, which still exists and is represented as a separate entity, for their own special needs.