Orange to launch South African VoD service next year

Orange Horizons, a subsidiary of French telecom giant Orange, is gearing up to launch its own internet service provider (ISP) service in South Africa, accompanied by a video on-demand (VoD) offering.

According to Fin24, CEO of Orange Horizons Sebastien Crozier revealed that the up-coming ISP will cater a range of online services. Apart from providing internet access, the service plans on launching voice over IP services, free TV channels as well as a VoD offering.

“This is what we plan to do step by step next year. Our VoD offer could be in partnership with an existing player under the name Orange VoD,” Crozier told Fin24.

Though details are not disclosed at this point, it is understood that Orange is partnering with Globecast — one of the telecom’s subsidiaries, which also has a presence in South Africa.

If you’ve kept up-to-date with the tech news within the last month, you’d know that the VoD space is getting really exciting. After the news broke that US entertainment streaming service Netflix plans to set up shop in South Africa, JSE-listed media giant Naspers quickly followed suite with the release of its competitor, ShowMax.

Read more: ShowMax: 7 things you should know about Naspers’ new VoD service

The online entertainment party doesn’t stop there however. With existing players such as MTN’s FrontRow and Times Media Group’s Vidi already trying to secure market share in the industry, it’s going to become even more crowded with the launch of global telecom PCCW’s VoD service later this week.

Around this time last year, Orange announced a partnership with the City of Cape Town to provide free WiFi to people living in Khayelitsha and Mitchells Plain. The French group has also beefed up its presence in South Africa with the launch of its first retail store in the country earlier this year.

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