Orange has announced the launch of its operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Orange said it would bring its research and development expertise to the region, with DR Congo customers joining a global community of 183mn Orange customers across 33 countries.
Jean-Léon Bonnechère, CEO of Orange DR Congo, claimed, “Our objective is to harness the power of a large group in order to benefit the Congolese population.
“We think that there is a strong desire for simple, dynamic and innovative services in the DR Congo, a country with incredible development potential; it is the group’s ability to meet these requirements that makes Orange one of the most renowned brands in the world.
“We are committed to giving access to a reliable, high-quality network and to the possibilities offered by mobile broadband services using the 3G+ network,” he added.
Since its acquisition of Congo Chine Télécom (CCT) in October 2011, Orange has invested US$95mn in upgrading the network in the DR Congo. The company has also deployed the country’s first 3G+ network in leading cities.
The new network is now operational in Kinshasa and will be switched on in Lubumbashi and Matadi soon. In early 2013, residents of Goma, Bukavu and Mbuji-Mayi will also be covered.
Offering its full range of mobile offers in 22 retail outlets throughout the country, Orange’s products and services will also be available through a further 22,000 indirect points of sale.
The company, which is planning to recruit extra members of staff, is offering an intensive 18,000-hour training programme to employees. It aims to bring its total number of employees to more than 600 people, with more than 30,000 distributors and partners. The majority of the managerial positions are also being filled with local talent, Orange claimed.
Through its global network of 15 Orange Labs, the company said it has drawn on its knowledge of Africa’s markets to refine its offers in the country based on targeted customer segments.
Orange has also pledged to support the DR Congo’s socio-economic development in the fields of healthcare and education through its Orange Foundation, which will be operational in 2013.
