[Sydney, Australia, June 16, 2000]: Online mobile phone retailer Mobile Stop and recent Australian
telecommunications market entrant Orange have joined to sell and
deliver CDMA mobile phones in rural and regional Australia over the Internet.
Under the deal, Mobile Stop and Orange will undertake a national
development campaign promoting the benefits and security of buying
mobile technology online, in line with the Mobile Stop approach to
provide rural consumers with the same level of access to CDMA mobile
products as their metropolitan counterparts.
“Orange and Mobile Stop have a joint commitment to providing rural
consumers with significant choice for their CDMA mobile purchase, which
is something that has not been achieved to date,” said Mobile Stop’s
general manager Ari Klinger.
“Our delivery, complete CDMA handset range and customer service
procedures, including recently introduced online order tracking, will
mean that rural customers do not incur any additional costs simply due
to their location, and will be given many advantages that are not often
available to them via the traditional purchase method,” said Klinger
According to Klinger, Mobile Stop research indicates that mobile
phones and technology is becoming increasingly vital in non-urban areas.
“The adoption rate is increasing but the service and choice being
afforded to this demographic simply isn’t keeping pace.” said Klinger.
“In the past, residents outside of capital cities have been neglected in
terms buying online.”
The deal follows the announcement earlier this month that Hutchison
Telecommunications (providers of the Orange service) would begin the
rollout of its mobile CDMA services in Sydney and Melbourne(see story).
Sales of the local service are currently being integrated with the
mobile service – marketed as Orange One – through contract and direct
fulfilment channels in the company’s licence areas.