Orange broadband products have become very difficult to sell in the past few months, according to store staff.

Store staff for the firm have told Mobile Today that fixed-line broadband sales have dropped by more than 50 per cent since the company introduced a £30 connection charge to its products.

According to one assistant store manager: "Sales have plummeted to less than half what they were before the connection charge came in. Broadband has become almost impossible to sell and now it's proving difficult to motivate staff to push it."

Orange has recently been voted worst broadband provider by uSwitch pollsters, while research group Aura highlighted the company's customer service as poor.

Another member of staff was attributed as saying that no broadband products sales "at all" were being made in store.

Elsewhere, senior analyst at Ovum Steven Hartley has suggested that by pursuing uncompetitive pricing strategies on its mobile broadband products, Orange has been unable to effectively enter the marketplace and has as such missed an opportunity to capitalise on the burgeoning popularity of the products.