Orange 'to join triple-play fray in Q3, 2007'

[BGonaSTICK]

Mobile operator Orange is reportedly set to launch an internet protocol television (IPTV) service in the UK in the third quarter of this year. The Sunday Telegraph said Orange - which already operates IPTV services in France, Europe's most advanced IPTV market - intended to give subscribers the ability to transfer content between TV, PC and mobile phone over a two-year roll-out.

Orange UK broadband chief Eric Abensur told The Sunday Telegraph: "When you buy content you should be able to watch that content wherever you want to, whether that is on your TV, on your PC or on your mobile."

Last year Abensur, who headed France Telecom's Wanadoo internet service before its rebranding to Orange in 2006, told an IPTV conference that providing TV was a "must have" for the telecommunications group. While broadband speeds and availability were increasing, retail prices were falling, forcing telcos down the triple-play route.

Abensur made clear last year that Orange would not compete in the arena of premium television. Instead it would seek to retain broadband customers with a highly competitive IPTV proposition built around a set-top box offering Freeview and video-on-demand via broadband.