Paris, May 12, 2009

 

Orange Business Services has been placed in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner Inc.’s Magic Quadrant for Asia/Pacific Network Service Providers ¹.

 

According to the report, Gartner gives “high marks to providers that exceed on overall service quality, based on a combination of high network reliability and performance, good service and support, and strong service-level commitments. We place special emphasis on local service and support in developing and remote markets, which can improve installation and restoration times significantly. We also look for providers that can deliver superior connectivity to and within China and India, two key markets in Asia.”

 

Barbara Dalibard, president and CEO, Orange Business Services, said:  “We are delighted to be positioned in the Leaders quadrant in Gartner’s Asia Pacific Magic Quadrant. Asia Pacific continues to be a key market for us and we recently announced that we have enhanced our next-generation converged IP network in Asia Pacific to integrate innovations like Multicast, IPv6 and Telepresence support.”

 

Network Service Providers evaluated in the Magic Quadrant were evaluated on their “ability to execute” and “completeness of vision,” which reflect the following specific criteria:

 

Ability to Execute. Product/Service, Overall Viability (Business Unit, Financial, Strategy,  Organization), Sales Execution/Pricing, Market Responsiveness and Track Record, Marketing Execution, Customer Experience, and Operations.

 

Completeness of Vision. Market Understanding, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Offering (Product) Strategy, Business Model, Vertical/Industry Strategy, Innovation and Geographic Strategy.

 

The report defines “leaders” as vendors who ”demonstrate strong vision, especially in terms of defining future market needs. They back their vision by investing ahead of competitors in new or unproven areas, and are generally better positioned for the future. However, significant differences exist between the Leaders in terms of strategy and execution, and none excel in all areas. There is no strong leader and the long-term outcome is not clear in view of the differences between them."

 

¹ Gartner Inc., “Magic Quadrant for Asia/Pacific Network Service Providers,” To Chee Eng, April 24, 2009.

 

 

The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted April 24, 2009 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

 

 

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 123 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (12.7 billion euros for the first quarter of 2009) and at March 31, 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 184 million customers in 30 countries. These include 123 million mobile customers worldwide and 13 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

 

The Group's strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

 

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