Vodafone relishes Orange Bold hiccups

In a "memo" sent by a PR "leaked" to the Register, Vodafone has engaged in some serious point scoring against its rival, Orange, over its early and (as it turned out) not so successful release of the BlackBerry Bold. Due to what the memo calls "software issues and technical faults", which forced Orange to temporarily pull the Bold, the Newbury-based network feels it now has the perfect opportunity to point out the "superiority of Vodafone’s network coverage and testing processes."

Rubbing just a little salt into Orange's wounds it says, "We are pleased to inform our partners that these issues do not affect any BlackBerry Bold devices offered by Vodafone [thanks to] considerable time working with RIM to optimise the BlackBerry Bold software for Vodafone's network."

In a comment no way aimed at miffed Orange customers it goes on to say the Vodafone Bold, "was not launched until all known or potential issues were addressed. This is standard procedure for all Vodafone recommended devices."

In a final flourish the memo concludes: "These next few weeks offer a great opportunity to target new customers with a clear advantage over Orange UK." So that's Orange bad, Vodafone good. Surely this is the work of a marketing genius?

[ Register]