|
Orange hits out at ASA ruling |
|
Orange has hit out at the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) recent ruling on its 3G coverage ads, claiming the regulator’s decision amounts to a gagging order on the entire mobile industry.
The operator also took a shot at its rival 3, branding its subsequent claims over its own 3G coverage as absurd.
The ASA earlier today ruled that Orange’s advertising claim that its 3G network covers more people in the UK than any other operator was misleading following a complaint from rival operator 3 (nma.co.uk 30 June).
In a statement, an Orange spokeswoman said: “While we accept the ASA’s ruling, we feel this decision effectively gags us, and the rest of the industry, from talking about our networks as according to the ASA as our claims are not directly comparable.”
Hutchison Whompoa-owned 3 contested Orange’s claim, saying that its 3G network covered a greater geographical area than Orange’s.
The ASA ruled in favour of 3, adding that Orange’s claim was unsubstantiated given that both company’s data was not directly comparable.
The Orange spokeswoman went on to state: “What’s of most frustration is the company who raised the complaint, 3, have themselves started to use the same claim that we have been banned from using – the biggest 3G network by population. This is absurd and makes a mockery of the ASA’s ruling.” |
