Briefs: Orange launches fixed-line telecom in U.K.

France Telecom's mobile unit Orange will be offering fixed-line service in Britain in what is seen as a move toward a bundled product line.

The Orange Landline for Business service will offer a single point-of-contact for its commercial customers as well as a discount on call charges amounting to 20 percent below British Telecom.

Although wireless and Voice over Internet Protocol telephony are seen as the wave of the future in telecom technology, the Financial Times said Friday that Orange doesn't believe Europe's smaller businesses are ready to abandon their landlines.

The bundled offering is similar to that which is offered to France Telecom customers on the continent.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International