Orange Unveils HD Mobile TV

PARIS -- Today Orange announces plans to launch high definition mobile TV for Unik, giving customers in France access to more than sixty high definition mobile TV channels (including twenty with unlimited access). The service will be available on Orange’s world-leading 3G+ UMA platform through a new and exclusive handset from LG, the LG Secret KF757. The device will be the first UMA handset to include Orange TV Player, Orange's cutting-edge mobile TV software that enables users to easily flick from one channel to another and to consult a guide to programmes showing on each channel. With this service, Orange customers in France will be able to view high-quality TV content on their Unik handset, whether they are at home, in Orange WiFi hotspots or while travelling.

Georges Penalver, Orange's Senior Executive VP Group Strategic Marketing, says, “As a leader in convergence, Orange is constantly innovating to bring new services to our customers. Orange HDTV over 3G+ UMA is the next evolution of our mobile TV service, giving customers an enhanced experience with optimal display quality, easy channel access and simplified browsing. Thanks to the quality of its network, Orange can now offer its customers faster and more efficient data access wherever they are.”

In September this year, Orange announced the world’s first 3G+ UMA platform, combining the two technologies for the first time to give Unik customers seamless access to rich content services and fast data speeds whether they are at home, near an Orange WiFi hotspot or on the move. The network intelligently chooses the best connection available – Orange Livebox, WiFi or 3G+ – offering optimal TV quality more cost-effectively when in a WiFi environment. With the new LG Secret KF757, Orange is extending its portfolio of 3G+ UMA devices to deliver the best personal TV experience possible with high definition mobile television.

According to Roaul Roverato, Executive Vice-President in charge of the new growth businesses Division at Orange, “Our proximity to the customer and our understanding of their expectations means we are able to react more quickly to their changing needs. For example in France, 40% of mobile TV usage is enjoyed at home* and this trend is growing, with over 58% of customers accessing video on demand (VoD) services and 32% watching live TV when at home** . By providing better handsets with bigger screens, seamless network access and exciting, high-quality content, Orange is shaping the future of mobile TV.”

“The new LG Secret KF757 3G+ UMA handset offers Orange Unik customers the best experience in TV, multimedia and imaging with a 5 MGP camera and a 2.4” LCD FT touch screen,” says Jean-Raoul de Gelis, Orange Global Account Sales Director at LG. “With the launch of the Secret KF757 from the LG Black Label Portfolio, LG fully supports Orange’s mobile multimedia vision by combining the best capabilities of fixed and mobile networks.”

Orange’s 3G+ UMA TV service will be available in France on the LG Secret KF757 via the Orange TV Player software or the Orange World portal, and is already available on the Sony Ericsson G705u via the Orange World portal. Orange’s existing Unik service currently has over 1 million customers in France. The offer is also available through Unifon in Poland, Unique in the UK and Unico in Spain.

Orange SA