COMMUNICATIONS group Orange yesterday announced a strong performance in revenue and customer growth for the nine months to the end of September.

One of the reasons for the good performance was the company's range of innovative products which have been brought on to the market.

Orange employs about 6,000 people at its call centres in Darlington, Peterlee and North Tyneside.

According to the figures, the number of Orange customers was up 2.5m in the first nine months of the year to 43.2m.

The company also strengthened its market leadership in France and its customer base in the rest of the world was up 826, 0000 to 11.4 million.

Recurring network revenues were up 15.4 per cent year on year to £11.5bn with a 12.8 per cent increase in total revenues to £12.5bn.

The company also recorded its first year-on-year increase in UK annual average revenues.

Graham Howe, deputy chief executive officer and chief operating officer, said: "Our results continue to demonstrate the strength, growth and increasing quality of Orange's customer base.

"They also continue to show the enormous untapped potential of our existing voice and non-voice services."

Mr Howe added: "What they can't yet show is the impact of the new WirefreeTM devices and services we are rapidly introducing, including picture messaging, e-mail, instant messaging and the ability to access your personal and business databases, diary and e-mails wherever you are, through Orange.

"As these services progressively become ubiquitous, they will add to Orange's future growth and value, as well as further changing the way people and organisations communicate."