Orange has again demonstrated putting its multi-sector strategy into action in the hunt for new revenues.
This time it’s teamed up with Groupama to form a jointly owned firm, Protectline, to enter the telesurveillance market in France.
The two previously joined forces to support Orange’s entry into banking — Orange Bank was launched in France early in 2017. Orange intends to launch the service in Spain later this year, which is the French operator’s second biggest market. It is also evaluating the markets of Slovakia, Poland and Belgium for its banking services.
Orange holds the majority 51% stake in Protectline, with Groupama holding the rest. The partners say they will each keep control of their offers via their own retail channels and under their own brands. Also, Orange still intends to launch its own telesurveillance service for consumers in spring, suitable for fixed or mobile networks.
Another string
As a third string to its bow, Orange could also expand its home-monitoring service beyond its domestic market, as it plans to do with banking, as it has operations and alliances in 220 countries and territories.
Groupama’s surveillance offers span the sector, from mass-market to bespoke solutions. The partnership with Orange, will bring its Confitex 6 subsidiary into play, along with a logistics centre, IT systems and installation teams to oversee the whole value chain.
Orange’s Chairman and CEO, Stéphane Richard, said in a statement, “The upcoming launch of our home telesurveillance service is an important part of Orange’s multiservice operator strategy. To deliver the best product possible, we have again chosen to work with Groupama to pool our skills and resources, following on from our Orange Bank partnership.”