Orange: Internet is the new radio star

Mobile operator Orange UK lifted the curtain on a wireless internet radio device on Monday, with the aim of boosting revenues delivered by its music store.

The Liveradio is a wifi radio device which gives broadband customers access to over 4,000 local, national and international internet radio stations. The device costs £99.99.

The gadget works in conjunction with the Liveradio website, allowing users to customise their presets, create specialist folders for easy reference and add the stations they want to listen to via a ‘drag and drop’ function.

As they listen to the radio, users can also press a bookmark button, which adds details of the track to the user’s Favourites section on the Liveradio website, and gives them an option to buy from the Orange Music Store.

Orange sells its tracks at a price of £0.99 each, and offers a dual download service which sends the track to a mobile phone as well as a PC.

Orange reckons more than 8 million people listen to internet-based radio every week in the UK.

Meanwhile, Orange’s French operation said that as of July 3, 24 million French households, or 98.3 per cent of the mainland population, will be able to get Orange TV as the company steps up its triple play strategy.

The company said a combined ADSL-satellite technology provided by Eutelsat has made it possible for Orange to extend its network beyond half of the population.