Orange tests 3G waters with new datacard

Orange has announced the forthcoming launch of a 3G high-speed datacard for mobile workers and is to launch consumer 3G video handsets from Sony Ericsson and LG later in the year.

Available in its Orange stores from 19 July, the Mobile Office Card will be rolled out to online retailers, resellers and other mobile phone shops in August.

Business users can sign up to a range of tariffs, including a £75 a month 'all you can eat' flat-rate service - paying a one-off fee for the Lucent Merlin U530 data Wireless PC Modem Card - or a pay-as-you-go fee of £2 per MB downloaded and £255 for the datacard.

Orange's strategy reflects that of rival Vodafone, which launched its Mobile Connect 3G datacard three months ago.

In comparison, Vodafone's services range from £10 for 5MB to £85 for 500MB a month, with the one-off datacard costing £150 for subscribers to the monthly 5MB service to £50 for 500MB-a-month users.

Orange has claimed that its 3G service will offer greater coverage and international roaming.

The operator said that its network will reach 66 per cent of the UK population, with availability in all major cities including London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Bristol, Belfast, Glasgow, Sheffield, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle upon Tyne and Leeds.

"We are covering all the major cities in the UK, from Aberdeen down to the south west, and through our FreeMove partnership with other operators you will also be able to roam in Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as with Orange in France," said John Allwood, executive vice president for Orange UK.

Vodafone's service is currently available in London, the M4 corridor and 10 other cities.