Orange opt for 2-year locked contract

Orange aims to slow handset replacement

11 April 2007 16:45 GMT / By Ryan Haynes

First there was pay-as-you-go, then mobile networks decided to beat competitors with extended extra-value 18-month contracts. Now, Orange has said that it is pushing customers towards a 24-month contractual obligation.

If you're prepared to wait 2 years before you receive a replacement handset from the mobile company or give up the subsidised phone offer for a SIM-only deal and no commitment, then Orange will provide voice and text extras in your call plan tariff.

It could be seen as a step to reduce the burden of annually replacing phones or the wastage of perfectly good mobiles by Orange. Or it can be a step to keep customers locked-in and committed to a service for longer. Depending on your Orange animal package you can get anywhere between an extra 50 to 450 voice minutes per month.

This system rewards customers with added mobile usage benefits and allows the user to determine when a phone is replaced.