A museum even though the sign does not say so. Welcome to the Collection Historique Orange. It holds over 11000 items. These pieces trace the history of telecommunications. The period covered is from 1792 to the early 2000s. That is over 130 years of history. It starts with the Chappe telegraph. It goes through mobile phones and TSF.
Patrice Battiston is the master of this place. He has watched over these treasures since 2003. Patrice says that he basically loves history. He started at the Post Office in 1973. He held several positions at PTT and France Telecom. Then he came across the job of collection manager by chance. There were about 50 candidates. Patrice smiles as he says that he will retire at the end of the year. It is very rich. Every day there are new things and outside contacts. Patrice is constantly adding to the collection. He sends a newsletter to 100000 people. He gets calls all the time. In recent months he received a satellite suitcase from Cayenne. He also got a 1960s handcart from Die.
The Collection Historique Orange was displayed in Geneva in 2015. It includes original items. One item is a piece of the submarine telegraph cable. This cable was laid between Calais and Dover in 1861. It allowed a line to open between Paris and London. There are also reproductions. One is of the experimental telephone. Alexander Graham Bell invented it in 1876. Model making fans will love the cable ship models.
A visit to the Collection Historique Orange shows some curiosities. One is the theatrophone. It let people listen to plays. It used receivers in public places. Another is the Tic Tac. This was an early Minitel tested in the mid 1970s.
The Orange brand history is part of French telecommunications history. It began 200 years earlier in 1794. The first telegraph message went over the Lille Paris line. It continued from the Ministre des Postes in 1930. It became the Ministre des Postes et Telecommunications in 1959.
The France Telecom Group began in 1988. It gained autonomy in 1990. Then it bought Orange in 2000. This grew the international presence and service offerings.
The Orange brand launched in the UK in 1994. The mobile phone market was very different. Digital networks had just started. Complex tariffs and high prices made phones status symbols. They were only for business customers.
Rabbit was losing money. Hans Snook sensed a change. He wanted to know what people wanted. So he talked to consumers. More importantly he listened. People wanted a personal communications company. One that made mobile phones simple for everyone.
He worked with Wolff Olins. They laid down the foundations of the Orange brand. It had human values. Simple. Friendly. Honest. Refreshing. Dynamic.
The name was warm and friendly. The color palette matched. The logo did not look like the fruit. It has remained iconic to this day. The launch message was: The future’s bright, the future’s Orange.
Within two weeks, the brand had 45% awareness. After two years it reached 70%. This was 20% higher than Vodafone and BT Cellnet. Orange never believed in technology for its own sake. It believed in how it improves lives.
This insight made Orange the leading mobile operator. Customers loved it. In March 1996 Orange floated on the London Stock Exchange. It was the youngest company to join the FTSE 100. By 1997, it had one million customers. It reached eight million by 2000.
In February 2000, Orange caught the attention of France Telecom. They acquired it for 39.7 billion euros. The mobile operations merged with France Telecom. This formed the new group Orange SA.
France Telecom changed its name to Orange in July 2013. Orange is here. The Collection Historique Orange stands as a testament. It reflects this long journey of connection and innovation. It reminds us how far we have come. It inspires us to imagine what the future holds.