A new marketing initiative in Britain for Orange, a wireless operator owned by France Telecom, captures the subtle but significant shift taking place in the European mobile industry.

Like most other operators in Europe, Orange dangles a piece of free hardware in exchange for a two-year service contract. But that duration, to win customers, Orange is including a laptop computer, not a mobile phone.

The “Connected Laptop” offer includes a free laptop from Asus or Hewlett Packard, a USB

modem and up to five gigabytes of downloads for pound(s)25 to pound(s)45, or $49 to $88, per month. As mobile operators start giving away devices other than cell phones, experts say, the industry is entering a new phase.

“As the European market gets more saturated, operators are looking at other drivers from a connection standpoint,” said Carolina Milanesi, director of mobile devices at Gartner in London. “The laptop subsidies reflect the […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News