SOFTWARE START-UP Asavie has won a contract with France Telecom’s Orange mobile division on the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, even though nobody from the company has visited the island territory.

Asavie’s software, which enables business users to access information securely on company networks using laptops or mobile phones, is being deployed as part of a broader deal with the Orange Group, which has more than 100 million mobile subscribers worldwide.

“This is just the first commercialisation of the deal we have done,” said Asavie chief executive Ralph Shaw.

“This is potentially a multi-year, multimillion-euro contract with Orange worldwide.”

Mr Shaw said the Réunion deal was further evidence of the com-pany’s ability to deliver projects internationally.

Asavie was founded in 2004. Its software has been deployed by O2 in Ireland and the UK, Vodafone Ireland, and US operator Alltel.

Asavie also sells its software directly to corporate and small-business customers as AccessMyLan.

The software is designed to be delivered as a remote managed service, with Asavie hosting the software on behalf of customers.

Mr Shaw said it was this architecture which enabled Asavie to create the SecureMonAccess service for Orange in Réunion without engineers or other staff having to travel to the island.

Mr Shaw said Asavie was currently in negotiations with a number of mobile and fixed-line telecoms operators.

“There is a trend for operators to look for complete solutions rather than just pieces they can put together themselves,” said Mr Shaw.

“With our software they can create a mobility solution for their customers rather than just selling internet access.”

He also said the company was starting to win large end-user contracts in Britain through its relationship with O2.

Earlier this year Asavie appointed Ray Nolan, the internet entrepreneur behind Web Reservations International and the successful Hostelworld.com brand, as non-executive chairman.