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CEO Stephane Richard opts to extend test phase after staff experience quality, reliability issues.
Orange has delayed the launch of its much-vaunted banking service to give it more time to improve quality and performance.
Staff have been using Orange Bank since mid-May, and it was due to launch commercially on 6 July.
"We anticipate that Orange Bank will be launched after the summer," said an Orange spokeswoman, in an email to Total Telecom.
"Tests carried out with employees since May haven’t met the standards and criteria of excellence in terms of quality and reliability that the group expects," she explained.
As a result, "Stephane Richard has decided to extend the test phase and postpone the commercial launch," she said.
In April 2016, the French incumbent signalled its intention to launch a bank when it agreed to acquire a 65% stake in France-based Groupama Banque. Regulators cleared the deal in October.
When it does eventually go live, Orange Bank customers should be able to open a current account, an interest-bearing savings account, apply for a free debit card, and take out overdraft protection. In addition to traditional banking services, Orange Bank will also let customers send money via SMS.
Further down the line, Orange Bank also plans to offer credit and insurance services.
Customers will be able to join Orange Bank via a Website, mobile app, or at one of the telco’s 140 shops.
Orange’s expansion into banking falls under its five-year Essentials 2020 plan, which aims to generate more than €1 billion in turnover from the IoT and financial services by 2018.
