(FR)Orange raises price of old internet plans, minister reacts

bealtine

Orange raises price of old internet plans, minister reacts Friday 14 August 2009

Orange France will raise the price of 29 of its internet subscription plans, now considered obsolete, by EUR 1 or EUR 5 per month, on 1 September. The operator informed customers by e-mail that they could keep their current service at the new price, switch to another offer or cancel their subscription, AFP writes, citing a company spokesman. He explained that the price rise will affect only a small proportion of Orange's internet customers, several tens of thousands out of a total 8.6 million, and that the operator has not been signing up subscribers to these offers for at least two years. The plans include a low bandwidth service offering 5 hours of internet access per month for EUR 5, which will now cost EUR 6, and a 512 Mbps, 5 GB plan whose price will rise to EUR 24.90 from EUR 19.90. Reacting to the news, France's digital economy minister, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet told AFP that for social reasons, internet services should still be available under the psychological level of EUR 20 per month. Orange countered that it still offered a low bandwidth service for EUR 10 per month for 25 hours of access and another providing unlimited access for EUR 20 per month. The minister said her staff had contacted Orange to ask for an updated tariff list and would do the same with SFR and Free.

Cabaal

Is this any different to some IP-Stream providers in the UK raising prices on these products by £5 per month when compared to people on LLU?