Orange named Best Global Operator and Best Mobile Service Provider at World Communication Awards 2009

Orange and Sorin Group awarded Best Change-Maker for innovations in remote health monitoring and telemedicine

Orange was awarded three of the telecom industry’s highest accolades at Wednesday night’s annual World Communication Awards (WCA), held in London. For the fourth consecutive year, Orange Business Services was awarded ‘Best Global Operator’ and for the third time, Orange was awarded ‘Best Mobile Service Provider’.

Orange Business Services and Sorin Group, a global medical device company and a leader in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, received the ‘Best Change-Maker’ award for its work in applying M2M and e-Health technologies to improve cardiac patients’ quality of life. 
 
David Molony, Principal Analyst at Ovum and WCA Chair of Judges said, “Orange Business Services and Orange produced a series of impressive entries this year, and they were worthy winners in the Best Global Operator and Best Mobile Service Provider categories. The judges praised the consistency of strategy, which has produced strong service offers in a well-managed commercial framework.”

Celebrating 11 years of corporate and personal success in global communications, the World Communication Awards recognises significant achievements and developments in the global telecoms industry.
 
Barbara Dalibard, president and CEO, Orange Business Services, comments, “We owe these great victories to the commitment that our employees make every single day to serve our customers with tireless enthusiasm and help us stay on course with dedication and ingenuity. We see a bright future ahead as we extend our portfolio to new territories, such as videoconferencing, contact centers, and M2M applications and approach cloud computing as our new frontier.”

Olaf Swantee, Senior EVP, Personal Communication Services and UK & International operations continues, “This success was made possible by the work that everybody at Orange has been delivering in all our countries, focusing on serving our customers.  As a result of this customer focus and our strategy to grow through innovation, Orange’s mobile business has been rewarded with one of the most prestigious global awards in our industry.  We are very proud.”

To learn more about Orange visit www.orange.com

About Orange
Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 126 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 (38.1 billion euros for the first nine months of 2009) and at 30 September 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 190 million customers in 32 countries. These include 128.8 million mobile customers and 13.4 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two 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.
For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com