Telecom service provider Orange said its Capex (capital spending) rose 9.5 percent in Q2 2015 to €1,482 million or $1.64 billion.
Orange’s Capex for H1 2015 was €2.672 billion, up 6.5 percent.
One of the focus areas of Orange Capex program was investment in fiber. The number of connected households at 30 June 2015 was 4,314 million in France and 1,042 million in Spain.
Orange France’s 4G networks coverage reached 76.5 percent of the population. It is deploying 4G+ in 17 major towns and cities, including Paris.
The telecom service provider has more than 12 million 4G customers in Europe. 4G customers in France were 5.6 million, 3.5 million in Spain, 1.3 million in Poland, 700,000 in Belgium, 600,000 in Romania and 400,000 in Slovakia.
Orange will have 5 million 4G customers. Orange France’s 4G networks covered 80 percent of the population in Spain, 79 percent in Poland, 95 percent in Belgium, 67 percent in Romania and 54 percent in Slovakia. 40 percent of data traffic in France passes through the 4G network.
Orange will devote considerable Capex – €15 billion by 2018 – with 60 percent going into networks.
In H1 2015, Orange deployed nearly 500,000 new fiber optic connections. Its rival operator deployed 40,000. Orange has more than 700,000 fiber optic customers. Its share of new business in the fixed broadband market in Q2 2015 was over 40 percent.
The company is deploying 3G in Africa and the Middle East with the introduction of services in Iraq, Cameroon and GuineaBissau in H1 2015. Orange added 4G LTE networks in Botswana, Jordan and Morocco.
The Orange Group’s investment strategy targets the improvement of the customer experience, especially in France, with the development of indoor coverage, programs for coverage of major roads, metros, the TGV train line, and a new plan for addressing white spots in coverage.
Orange invested in submarine cables in the 1st half of 2015, with the capacity increase of the SEA-ME-WE 4 cable linking Europe with the Middle East and Asia and the connection of Benin and the Canary Islands to the ACE submarine cable.
Meanwhile, Orange’s Q2 2015 revenue fell 0.2 percent to 9,885 million euros or $10.94 billion.
Out of this, France generated €4,763 million, Spain €920 million, Poland €737 million, Belgium & Luxembourg €304 million, Other European countries €409 million, Africa & Middle East €1159 million, Enterprise €1626 million and International Carriers & Shared Services €494 million.
Orange CEO Stephane Richard said: “Our commercial activity is underpinned by investment in very high-speed fixed and mobile broadband and the Orange team’s daily commitment to our customers, both of which form part of our Essentials2020 strategic plan.”
Baburajan K
editor@telecomlead.com
