Mercabarna wholesalers and buyers need to be permanently connected with their suppliers and customers, both in Spain and abroad, in order to locate, purchase and sell products. Communications have to be quick and fluid, since the short shelf-life of fresh produce marketed in Mercabarna calls for swift decision-making. This is why it is so important to be able to rely on landline and mobile telephony services and Internet access, etc that are truly competitive. With this in mind, the commission of telecommunications users of Mercabarna, made up of Mercabarna management, the Mercabarna Concessionaires Association (Assocome) and the associations of fruit and vegetable wholesalers (AGEM) and fish wholesalers (GMP) have decided, after holding a preliminary competition, to adjudicate the mobile telephony service of the closed group of precinct users to a new carrier: Orange. This change has been motivated, above all, by the competitive prices and personalised services that this company offers to Mercabarna users. As Lluís Alberich, Mercabarna’s Industrial and Services director, points out, “Belonging to a cluster like Mercabarna, whether as a carrier or a buyer, means major advantages for users, since together they have enormous clout for the carrier and this enables them to obtain sizeable benefits.” Orange has already launched a sales campaign to inform customers of the change of carrier and the services it will offer and, in brief, it will hold different meetings with the business owners and representatives of the wholesaler and retailer associations.

Lower prices and more services
With the new carrier, the users of the closed Mercabarna group will benefit from very competitive rates 24 hours a day on calls to landline and mobile phones, in Spain and abroad. Moreover, advanced technological services can help them in their everyday work (Internet hook-up (3G), e-mail checking, fleet localisation, surplus control, etc).
Andreu Vilamitjana, Orange’s director of Large Companies and Public Administration, reveals, “We supply tools that enhance both profitability and productivity, based on both cost control and the incorporation of technological advances oriented towards mobility.” From now on, bill checking will also be simplified in that users will be able to look at bills on the Internet, generate specific reports by lines, months and so on. And too, in order to provide personalised attention, Orange will have an office in the commercial area and, furthermore, will assign a personal manager for Mercabarna, who will exclusively attend to queries and problems that precinct users may have.

How do we make the switch?
The switchover process to Orange can now get underway. To request information and/or the documentation needed for switching over to the new carrier, simply drop into the office that Al-Pi Telecommunications (Orange Catalonia) has in Mercabarna, or else call 93 556 42 24 or e-mail sonia.gonzalez@orange-ftgroup.com.