Orange presented a range of new products and services at its annual Hello Show on 12 December. The event was also the opportunity to announce that the Djingo smart speaker, developed and presented jointly with Deutsche Telekom, will be in stores by spring. Pricing is expected to start at EUR 49. The speaker is named after the Djingo voice-controlled personal assistant, which is also the virtual advisor for Orange Bank customers, and will be called Magenta in Deutsche Telekom markets. Additionally, the device will support Alexa, Amazon's voice-controlled digital assistant.
Connected and Protected Home
In France, the ecosystem around the speaker is expanding with new services from Orange and its partners, such as the OUI.sncf travel platform. Coinciding with its launch in spring, the device will support ‘Connected Home’, a service enabling the Orange Livebox to manage connected objects remotely, both Orange-branded and from third-parties (Philips Hue, D-Link, Bosch, and Netatmo, among others). The latest generation Livebox will become compatible with the service through a software update, with access offered free of charge for customers subscribing to a premium broadband package.
At the same time, Orange will launch ‘Protected Home’, a subscription-based service developed in partnership with insurer Groupama. It will offer a package based on video surveillance, which can trigger a response from security agencies if required.
IoT, 5G, data protection
This sixth edition of the Hello Show has also focused on IoT innovation, 5G and data security. The operator recently announced the commercial availability of LTE-M services for connected objects in France, and continues to develop modules to geolocate and activate devices remotely. While the commercial launch of 5G networks is expected in 2020, seventeen European cities will see initial installations starting in 2019, said the company.
As a trusted brand, Orange said it will promote new services in the areas of digital identity, healthcare and banking. Recognising the value of its customers’ data assets, the company said that it is also creating within its corporate structure an ethics committee specifically on the use of personal data, involving customer and employee representatives.
