Orange bundles mobile broadband, laptops for SMEs
Orange has launched a range of mobile-broadband packages for small to medium-sized enterprises, bundling a free laptop with the dongle-based connectivity.
The three new Connected Laptop business bundles range from £35 to £45 per month and include an unlimited data allowance, as well as 500 Wi-Fi minutes a month that can be used at BT Openzone and The Cloud hotspots.
On the cheapest tariff, users get an HP 6735s enterprise laptop with an AMD Sempron processor, while the two more expensive tariffs come with a HP 6730s Intel Core 2 Duo and a HP 6730b Intel Core 2 Duo laptop respectively. All the HP laptops come with Microsoft Windows Vista Business and a two-year warranty.
The £35 and £40 per month tariffs include an Option Icon 225 USB dongle, with the most expensive, £45-per-month package including an Orange SIM embedded into the laptop. All the contracts are for a duration of 24 months.
Paul Tollet, vice president of business at Orange UK, said in a statement: "Laptops are a natural extension to our existing product portfolio. We now offer our customers a totally flexible approach to business. Whether they want to manage their mobile working with a simple, affordable SIM-only tariff, want email on their phone or need total business laptop functionality, Orange can deliver it."
Orange launched a consumer mobile-broadband package back in July at £25 per month ,with a USB dongle and Asus Eee PC 900 netbook on its Internet Everywhere package.
Other mobile operators have also been quick to jump on the mobile-broadband-bundle bandwagon. Most recently, Vodafone signed a deal with Dell to sell its low-cost mini-laptop, the Inspiron Mini 9, in Europe. That package is expected to be available in late September.
3 offers the HP 2133 Mini-Note with its mobile-broadband package, while O2 took a different approach by offering an 8Mbps home broadband service and wireless router to anyone taking out its £20-per-month mobile-broadband package during a special offer this summer.
Virgin Mobile has said it also plans to launch its own mobile-broadband bundle package by the end of this year.