Petra) – The CEO of Orange Jordan, Philippe Mansour, described the royal support for the telecom sector in Jordan as the cornerstone for converting the Kingdom into a regional technology hub that brings together industry leaders and policymakers from all over the world.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Orange Group’s investment in Jordan. Mansour revealed that investment to strengthen the IT infrastructure amounted to JD2 billion.
He expressed his pride in renewing the Public Telecommunications Individual License for an additional 15 years. This milestone not only testifies to the trust that Orange enjoys on the national level but also serves as an embodiment of prioritizing customers as individuals or businesses. Customers are at the heart of everything Orange does, according to Mansour, and this is translated into anticipating their needs and introducing cutting-edge services and technologies.
Mansour further explained that at Orange Jordan, “we continuously improve the infrastructure of the fiber network, opting for and adopting the latest technologies to enhance the customer experience. In parallel, we also continue expanding our geographical coverage across all of the Kingdom. In this context, we strived to host various networks in our internationally certified data centers, enabling us to move from one point to another at high speeds. Last year, we also enhanced our positioning by introducing new services to the Jordanian market, including Wi-Fi 6 and Fiber to the Room (FTTR).”
He also emphasized that the company is fully committed to staying ahead of the curve in broadband services, elevating its fiber network, and providing different bandwidths for its 5G network. Orange is constantly expanding the 5G services coverage throughout the Kingdom in 1,000 sites, within a 12-month period at least.
Mansour shed light during the interview on the launch of the all-new Digital Self-Registration Service using the Electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) system, which allows the customers to electronically subscribe and authenticate prepaid mobile lines seamlessly and safely. It also helps them verify their identity and complete the service activation process remotely without the need to physically visit the shops or points of sale.
Mansour described 2024 as a remarkable year for the company, as “we were honored by His Majesty King Abdullah II after receiving the EFQM Recognized Excellence certificate, with a rating of 5 stars. This recognition by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) was received through its representative in Jordan, the King Abdullah Center for Excellence. Last year also witnessed the visit of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein Bin Abdullah II to the Orange Digital Village in Aqaba. During the visit, His Royal Highness was briefed on the various programs implemented by Orange, including Coding Academy, Fabrication Lab, Incubator and Accelerator, and the Digital Village which serves as a creative space for young females and males in Jordan, aligning with His Royal Highness’s vision of empowering youth and enabling them to play more effective roles in their communities.”
According to Mansour, Orange’s endeavors were culminated by a multitude of recognitions and awards, including winning the Al Hussein Bin Abdullah II Award for Voluntary Work in its second edition of the ‘For-profit Organizations in Corporate Social Responsibility’ category. This award recognizes the efforts and endeavors of the Coding Academy, implemented under the umbrella of Orange Digital Centers (ODC).
The CEO of Orange Jordan pointed out that Orange obtained the award as it offers the Fastest Fixed Internet – Fiber speed in Jordan for 2024 by SpeedChecker for the 3rd consecutive year. According to Mansour, “this recognition is aligned with our tireless efforts to invest in the latest technologies that enhance customer experience, which were also recognized with the prestigious Customer Operations Performance Centre (COPC) certification for the 5th year.”
Mansour said that Orange continued to comply with the standards and principles of Gender Equality European & International Standard (GEEIS) certification, which is evaluated every two years to ensure companies’ commitment and implementation in their policies and procedures.
Last year, according to the CEO of Orange Jordan, was full of milestones and accomplishments. These included the renewal of the agreement with the Jordanian Armed Forces -Arab Army, and the inauguration of the environmentally friendly Abdoun Flagship.
On top of that, Orange’s new slogan ‘Orange is Here’ was born last year, embracing the values embedded in everything Orange does. Mansour explained that it transcends being a mere slogan, rather serving as a route map for elevating the experiences of Orange’s customers, partners, and communities. ‘Orange is Here’ is embodied in the company’s community programs, equipping participants with the digital tools and preparing them to ‘Lead the Future.’
He said that Orange Jordan is committed to supporting the community through its CSR programs implemented under the umbrella of Orange Digital Centers (ODC). The main goal is to empower women, youth, entrepreneurs, and persons with disabilities to develop new entrepreneurial projects, enhance their digital skills, and provide them with opportunities to engage with the public, peers, and investors during significant and prominent events.
He pointed out that as part of the company’s efforts to spread digital culture and achieve societal and sustainable impact, “we received the Digital Skills Development Award from the MENA ICT Forum 2024 for our programs spanning 50 locations across all of Jordan and elevating the skills of 27,000 participants.”
When it comes to the company’s focus on entrepreneurship, Mansour shared that Orange gave the opportunity for startups under ‘BIG by Orange’ and the AI Incubator to participate in the Startup Village Arabia at MENA ICT Forum, in addition to empowering innovative projects from the Orange Summer Challenge to participate in these events as well.
The company also supported participants in its programs to showcase their products and services at the Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference (SOFEX 2024), where the public was introduced to the virtual hospital project, designed at the Innovation Hub in Amman.
He concluded that in 2024, the Orange Coding Academy and School celebrated its fifth anniversary. Over the course of its journey, it empowered more young females and males, bringing the total number of graduates to 1,550, enabling 80% of them to have access to the labor market. Orange Group also invested in the Jordanian startup InvoiceQ as a future key player in the financial technology scene.