France : Orange announced the launch of the world’s first 3G unlicensed mobile access (UMA) platform, opening up a new world of multimedia services to its Unik customers. Launching first with two exclusive Orange handsets from Samsung and Sony Ericsson, UMA and 3G network technology will be combined in one device for the very first time.

Orange’s UMA service (Unik) allows customers to use a single handset to make calls by seamlessly switching from fixed Wi-Fi to cellular networks as they leave or enter their home or office.

“With the launch of the world’s first 3G UMA service we are making life as simple as possible for our customers, whilst helping them get more from their mobile phone,” says Georges Penalver EVP of Group Strategic Marketing at Orange.

The first 3G UMA handset to launch will be the Samsung P270. This will be followed by the launch of the Sony Ericsson G705u.

John Delaney, a Research Director with industry analyst IDC, commented “The introduction of WiFi into high-end mobile phones has been very successful. Users of such phones are taking advantage of WiFi to stream and download multimedia to their phones more quickly and more cheaply than they can over cellular. This usage trend can be supported effectively by making the experience seamless, removing the need for users to think about and switch manually between different access points and network domains.”

Orange’s 3G UMA service will initially be available in France in October followed by Poland, Spain and the UK. Orange’s existing Unik service is currently available to customers in France, Poland (Unifon), UK (Unique) and Spain (Unico).