Orange opens up to channel

Orange has called on the channel to help it become the number-one network provider in SME

Orange’s dealers will gain access to managed VPN products for the first time as part of a channel overhaul by the mobile operator.

On 1 April, Orange is rebranding its partner programme under the Orange Business Partner programme banner and is hunting for more IT-focused dealers.

The new three-tier programme will replace its old, one-tiered Federated Dealer programme, which contains about 20 mobile-focused dealers.

At the same time, the carrier revealed that a range of new products will be available to indirect partners from the second half of 2010. This includes its Managed VPN and Orange Wirefree Extension offerings.

Steve Heald, channel sales director of partnerships at Orange, told CRN the revamp was designed to position Orange as the “number-one network provider in SME” and foster ties in the IT channel.

“One of the key things is the extension of Managed VPN,” he said. “This will give partners the edge in a solution bid. It is a complex solution and we need to be working closely with the partner to deliver it.”

The existing Federated dealers will be ported across to the mid-level ‘Specialist’ tier of the new programme.

The top-level Principal tier is reserved for resellers that commit to almost exclusive selling of Orange and will require them to form joint growth plans with the vendor. The entry level is called Approved, but Heald stressed that all three levels offered generous benefits.

With the help of distributors such as Avenir and Brightstar, Orange is aiming to double its authorised partner base to 40 over the coming months, Heald added.

“We are looking through distribution partners to develop closer ties with IT resellers and feed through not just pure mobile connectivity but also data solutions and the support that goes around it, such as training and pre-sales support," he explained. "We will not be forcing mobile voice tariffs down their necks.”