FRANCE TELECOM : Orange deplores erroneous communication by UFC Que Choisir on Open offers

UFC Que Choisir felt it had to denounce Orange's Open offers as a "more of a curse than a blessing" that would "shackle" our customers and limit their ability to "sign up with a more successful or innovative operator".

As a matter of form, Orange regrets that UFC did not think it useful to tell it about its complaint, or even the exact nature of its grievances, before communicating publicly.

Yet such a discussion would have helped clarify the situation and obviated the need for a complaint that once again leads one to believe - despite proof to the contrary - that the market is not a competitive one.

Reading UFC's affirmations, one can only conclude that it is completely ignorant about our offers. In fact, Open subscribers are not bound by any term commitment for the broadband internet access included in their offer. They are totally free to terminate access or to change broadband operator at any time, without penalty. UFC's assertions are thus purely and simply a misstatement of fact.

In reality, ever since they were launched, the Open offers have been recognized for their particularly innovative nature. They involve a single contract, a single bill and a single customer relation, whether for mobile or for broadband internet. Guaranteeing simplicity and transparency, this service is giving our customers a high level of satisfaction. As a result, the success of the Open offers has maintained its popularity after 18 months of marketing and more than a million subscribers.

It should also be noted that the Open offers have been closely followed by the competition authority for more than 15 months as part of an administrative inquiry. There can be no doubt that the authority would not have hesitated to bring proceedings, on its own initiative, if a disputable practice concerning our offers had been uncovered in connection with its inquiry.

Orange can only deplore such a biased, ill-intentioned action by UFC, which helps to sustain a false idea of the level of competition between telecom operators in the French market, just days away from the arrival of a new mobile operator.

Press contact: Jean-Bernard Orsoni  [phone] [e-mail]