Orange launched commercially, April 1994. The enormity of the task facing Orange at launch is difficult to appreciate today, given the current popularity of mobile phones. Back in 1994, the UK mobile phone market was a confusing place for customers. Digital networks had just been introduced, but few people understood the benefits. Complex tariffs and high prices made cellular phones only attractive to business customers: users had to sign-up to a three-year contract, with high monthly rental fees, high call tariffs and with little flexibility over the type of services on offer.