Orange UK has become the latest mobile operator in the country to launch a Digital Rights Management (DRM)-free music catalogue in what it describes as a “major refresh” of its mobile music portal. In a statement, the France Telecom-owned operator said it has secured deals with Universal Music, EMI Music and a number of independent labels to offer over 700,000 DRM-free tracks. The lifting of the rights protection will mean customers are able to download a track to their phone and PC, burn to a CD or transfer to a personal MP3 player. Orange has also introduced new tiered pricing, with downloads now available from £0.79 though it is unclear if the DRM-free tracks will be available at this price.

Orange notes that it has also revamped its music store (which sits within the Orange Music Portal), with new browsing and navigation features that claim to make it easier for customers to download music. The Music Portal has also been upgraded, and the operator said that the DRM-free catalogue will be enhanced in the coming months. Orange rival Vodafone announced in March that it would offer DRM-free services in Germany, Italy, UK, Spain and New Zealand this summer, and its other global markets “in due course.” Vodafone claimed at the time that it was the “first global mobile network operator to offer DRM-free music across both mobile phones and PCs.”