Orange awards OnePIN the first Orange Compatible endorsement
Orange Partner programme awards first endorsement to partner organisation
4 September, 2006: Orange today announces that OnePIN, Inc. has become the first member of the Orange Partner programme to receive the Orange Compatible seal of approval for its contact exchange product.
With the launch of Orange Compatible in May 2006, Orange became the world's first communications provider to offer a 'badge' of endorsement. Accreditation with Orange Compatible establishes that products and services have undergone industry and Orange Compatible testing, are commercially viable, and should work effectively and reliably across Orange's network, systems and devices.
OnePIN's product automatically manages contact information for subscribers across networks and devices to keep it accurate, up-to-date and accessible. Accreditation with Orange Compatible provides OnePIN with a unique marketing opportunity, and enables OnePIN to gain access to Orange product managers across 23 markets to explore commercialising the service for Orange's 88.6 million customers worldwide through the Orange Partner programme.
For Orange Partner members' products to gain Orange Compatible endorsement, they must:
be considered as commercially sound by Orange Partner
pass industry-standard testing schemes (e.g. Java Verified, Symbian Signed, Microsoft Mobile 2 Market, Palm Powered, Mobile World)
offer customer support in the event of problems
function as intended on the Orange network
be free of malware
not generate unexpected billable events
On gaining the Orange Compatible accreditation, members can use the Orange Compatible seal of approval in association with the approved solutions or service.
Steve Glagow, Director of Orange Partner, said: "As fixed and mobile broadband become ever more closely entwined, it will be the development of fresh and exciting services that drive the industry forward and showcase the possibilities for customers. Orange Partner and the Orange Compatible endorsement give us a framework to work with an immensely talented pool of innovative companies to explore these opportunities for our mutual advantage and the benefit of our customers. The endorsement of OnePIN as the first partner to receive Orange Compatible marks a significant step in the continuing evolution of the industry."
Christopher DeGrace, VP Products & Alliances at OnePIN said: "OnePIN is delighted to be the first organisation to receive the endorsement of Orange Compatible. We look forward to working further with Orange to explore opportunities for deploying the product to Orange customers around the world."
The Orange Partner programme has over 40,000 members worldwide and is designed to encourage innovation and foster commercial opportunities for third party developers of mobile services and applications. Support provided by Orange to existing and potential partners includes technical support such as online development and testing tools, discussion forums, one-to-one assistance, and worldwide developer centres – physical environments where developers can test against the Orange devices and networks.
Discussions between Orange and its partner began when OnePIN attended the European Partner Camp in October 2005, an annual event for existing and potential partners to network, exchange ideas and meet with senior executives from Orange. Attendees include, among others, developers of mobile games, ringtones, and business applications, who learn about developing and commercialising successful mobile solutions and services in partnership with Orange.
The Orange 2006 European Partner Camp will take place in Cadiz, Spain from October 23 – 25. Interested parties can find out more at www.orangepartnercamp.com.
About Orange
Orange is a key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators with 147 million customers on five continents.
In June, 2006, as part of the France Telecom Group integrated operator strategy (NExT programme) to deliver simple, convergent products, Orange became the single brand for mobile, broadband and multiplay offers in France, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands, strengthening Orange's position as the number two mobile and internet services brand in Europe. In addition, Orange Business Services became the new banner for business communications solutions and services. Orange Business Services is present in 166 countries and territories and serves customers in 220.
The France Telecom Group has 23 mobile and nine internet operations across the world. At July 27, 2006, the group had 88.6 million mobile customers, and 11.9 million internet customers.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited. Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at http://www.orange.com/
About OnePIN, Inc.
OnePIN, Inc. [www.onepin.com] is building the foundation for the next generation of content and information exchange. Based on its patented technology, OnePIN provides secure, permission-based software solutions to help people manage and maintain relationships across networks and devices. The privately-held company is headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, USA.
