Merck sealed the purchase of Geneva-based Serono in January 2007 and issued a call for bids for its global MPLS-based IP VPN. Orange Business Services won the bidding against BT Infonet, Serono’s previous provider. The kick-off for the migration of the Serono locations was mid-2007 and was completed on schedule at the end of 2007.

 

“The key criteria for us in making the decision were not only Orange’s global organization and the seamless network coverage it provides, but also the price and great flexibility with regard to contract terms and Service Level Agreements,” said Nigel Rixon, senior manager Networking and Telecommunication Services at Merck. “Another very important aspect for us was the low risk of migration, because the majority of locations were already connected to the network.”

 

Computer centers, considered mission-critical sites, in Darmstadt, Germany; Geneva and Rockland, Massachusetts were connected with bandwidths of up to 300 Mbps via Ethernet. The prompt integration of these locations into the Orange Business Services network was key to the successful implementation. Another component of the contract is Small Office Solution, an xDSL-based connection for small and mid-sized locations. Small Office Solution assures high flexibility with regard to bandwidth, class of service (bulk traffic, data, real time) and price depending on the unique needs of the site.

 

Frank Sommerfeld, vice president of Orange Business Services Germany, said:  “We brought together a team of experts in Germany and Switzerland from Customer Service, Professional Service, Project Management, and Legal and Commercial in order to create the best solution for Merck. We are pleased that we were able to convince Merck of our abilities.”

 

 

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than 170 million customers in five continents as of December 31, 2007, of which two thirds are Orange customers. The Group had consolidated sales of 52.9 billion euros in 2007. As of December 31, 2007, the Group had 109.6 million mobile customers and 11.6 million broadband internet (ADSL) customers.

 

Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006, Orange became the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

 

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the New York Stock Exchange.

 

For more information : www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com

 

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.