The station poached O'Connell from Xfm last year and, after serving out his contract, he joins on January 23. The hiring has already paid off in terms of the sponsorship, which Virgin describes as its largest on-air and online breakfast show deal to date.
Orange is to focus on the opportunities afforded by Virgin's online presence, such as its weekly email newsletter to 195,000 subscribers, and its reach among 16- to 34-year-old listeners.
O'Connell will get added exposure through a dedicated site on Orange's own portal, Orange World, which will offer customers audio clips, competitions and news.
According to Pippa Dunn, the mobile operator's director of brand marketing, the show will allow Orange to try out new ways of talking to and getting feedback from customers.
Jonathan Barrowman, Initiative's head of radio, said: "The sponsorship deal is much more than a simple badging exercise.
"It combines the brand properties of strong identity and of innovation, synonymous with both Orange and Virgin Radio, to bring a new on-air and online experience to listeners."
Orange is also the sole partner of GCap's digital station Core for 16-24-year-olds. The deal, agreed last August, turned Core into an ad-free station and gives Orange preferential access to programme content, sponsorship and promotional opportunities.
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