Orange has launched operations under the Orange brand in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Orange DRC customers will now join a global community of 183 million Orange customers. Present in 33 countries, France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading operators.

It will bring its technical and commercial know-how to the DRC as well as its research and development expertise.

Since the acquisition of CCT in October 2011 and in line with its overall strategy, Orange has invested 87.4 billion CDF (Congolese francs, i.e. $95m) to expand and upgrade its network. Through these efforts, Orange is able to offer extensive, high-quality coverage across the country from the first day of its launch.

Orange has also deployed the country’s first 3G+ network in the leading cities. This network is now operational in Kinshasa and will be switched on in Lubumbashi and Matadi in the coming days. In early 2013, residents of Goma, Bukavu and Mbuji-Mayi will also be covered.

From the outset, Orange DRC will have a chain of 22 own-branded retail outlets to propose the full range of its mobile offers, and its products and services will be widely available through 22,000 indirect points of sale.

 “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 DRC, 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,” notes Jean-Léon Bonnechère, CEO of Orange DRC.

Orange DRC will support the country’s socio-economic development through socially responsible corporate activities in the fields of healthcare and education through its Orange Foundation, which will be operational in 2013.