Orange jumps on flat-rate data bandwagon

Orange has introduced flat-rate mobile data bundles for the first time.

The operator's contract customers will be able to sign up for a bundle allowing them unlimited surfing for £8 per month. A bundle for evening and weekend browsing is priced at £5 per month. Alternatively, customers can opt for a daily cap of £1 per day.

The bundles make Orange the latest operator to adopt a flat-rate approach to its mobile-data pricing. Vodafone, T-Mobile and 3 already offer flat-rate pricing.

The operators do, however, take differing approaches to the types of traffic they allow. 3 is relatively liberal, as is T-Mobile, although T-Mobile demands a premium if customers use VoIP or instant messaging (IM). Vodafone bans the use of VoIP and IM outright, while Orange discourages both -- but does not ban them as such.

"Our terms and conditions will state that the bundle should not be used for these services," Orange said on Monday. "We would discourage any customer from using VoIP through the mobile Internet due to the quality of service they may experience. We are looking to launch our own high-quality IM service in the next few months, which will deliver a far superior customer experience to currently available services."