Orange announces new UK plans

Orange CEO Tom Alexander has announced a number of changes to the way the company works in the UK. He said it would improve quality for customers, it would expand Orange sales channels, it would expand its 3G HSDPA network, and it would offer new services. There'll be new products including Orange-branded laptops, there'll be more focus on offering customer service using UK call centres, and there'll be more Orange shops. It's also changing its management structure, which could see the loss of around 450 jobs. The company is dropping its "the future's bright, the future's Orange" advertising tagline. [Sources: Press release; Mobile News; Guardian.co.uk]

Orange man strengthens management team with former colleagues

Tom Alexander, the new CEO of Orange UK, has appointed three new people to his management team. Mr Alexander, who was CEO of Virgin Mobile, has hired Andrew Ralston, the former customer relations director at Virgin Mobile, to be his new chief operations officer. Former Virgin Mobile operations director Gerry McQuade becomes Orange UK’s chief development officer, with Steven Day, who’d been Virgin Mobile's head of corporate affairs, becoming Orange's chief of staff and communications. [Sources: Press release, Guardian.co.uk, Mobile News]