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Orange history

By Matthew Richardson on 18 August 2009

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Mobile phone giant Orange offers broadband to over 10 million subscribers.

Orange is one of the UK's most visible brand. Though mainly known as a mobile phone provider, Orange also offers home, business and mobile broadband services, as well as landline rental.

Orange was founded in 1994 by Hutchison Telecom. The orange colour was chosen because it's said to have a strong Feng Shui element. The square logo was used to differentiate it from the citrus fruit.

In 2001, France Telecom acquired Orange plc and merged it with its existing mobile operations.

In addition to their global mobile network, Orange is the biggest internet service provider in Europe. It has over 10m subscribers across the UK, France, Poland, Equatorial Guinea, Spain, Senegal, Slovakia and Switzerland. Up until 2006, Orange broadband operated in the UK under the name Wanadoo. The name was changed to simplify branding.

Over the last three years, Orange has become a triple play provider in many countries, including the UK, offering mobile, broadband and landline services.

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