France Telecom Group Launches the New Orange:
a Single Brand for Internet, TV and Mobile, a Leading Brand In Opening Up Digital Services
France Telecom Group's Orange, Wanadoo, and TV services unite under the Orange brand in France and the UK starting June 1
Equant and all business services come under the Orange brand starting June 1
A unique and simplified customer experience, based on a joint portal, unified customer service, shared customer loyalty program and renovated high street shops in France
The new Orange is launching a set of next-generation products and services including Unik, a 2-in-1 mobile that enables unlimited calls via the Livebox domestic Wi-Fi gateway.
Paris, May 31, 2006 - France Telecom Group (NYSE: FTE) announced today the launch of the new Orange in France and the United Kingdom. On June 1, Orange becomes the single brand for France Telecom Group's Internet, TV and mobile offerings. At the same time, Orange Business Services becomes the Group's business brand name in 220 countries and territories. This move is a decisive step in the NExT Plan initiated in 2005 and reflects the transformation of the France Telecom Group to offer its customers simple and convergent services.
"This is a great day for France Telecom Group, but particularly for our customers, who will begin to discover a new digital world driven by openness and simplicity," announced Didier Lombard, Chairman and CEO of France Telecom Group. "The new Orange, brought by a new France Telecom Group, embodies the efforts we have made over the last year to move toward greater convergence and give our customers the opportunity to enhance and simplify their daily lives, both at home and at work."
The choice of Orange is based above all on its potential for growth in other markets: created in 1994, it now ranks as one of the
world's leading brands as:
an international brand (85 million customers in 14 countries). It is known even in countries beyond Orange's footprint: its reputation precedes it;
a visible brand, with simple and easy-to-remember communication codes;
a brand associated with the idea of Content (Movies, Music, Games, etc.), an important asset for the France Telecom Group's convergence strategy;
a brand that can stimulate desire;
the brand chosen by France Telecom Group customers and employees when asked.
The Orange brand will now include all the Group's activities worldwide, except for traditional telephony offers, which will retain the France Telecom Group brand in France and the incumbent operator's where relevant.
Streamlined brand architecture
The change in the branding system is reflected in:
a balanced architecture in which the France Telecom Group, symbolized by the ampersand, bears the Group's communication to its audiences in France and abroad. The Orange brand represents the offerings and services to consumers and businesses.
a new signature for Orange - Open - to embody the vision of the Orange brand, which opens the door to the digital universe and to the world;
a restyled ampersand and a new name outside France, &ft group, to embody the new France Telecom Group and its transformation;
renovated high street shops in France, with both France Telecom Group's and Orange's logos displayed on the front.
Effective customer relationship
Today, the France Telecom Group considers its relationship with customers to be a core aspect of its renewal. As a first implementation of this approach in France, customers will now enjoy simplified access to France Telecom Group's and Orange's resources of thanks to:
a single portal, www.orange.fr, to access the brand's Internet and mobile universe, for news, entertainment and communication;
a similarly structured invoice for internet and mobile services. The tag "Wanadoo becomes Orange" will be placed on the Internet invoice for several months, to prevent any confusion for customers;
a unified customer service, 3900, for fixed-line and Internet services. Mass market mobile phone customer care number remains 700;
a shared customer loyalty program beginning this fall, to reward the loyalty of all fixed-line, mobile and Internet customers.
Next-generation services
The birth of the new Orange is also highlighted by the launch of next-generation products and services.
In France, these include:
Unik, the 2-in-1 telephone: at home, Unik connects automatically to the Livebox via WiFi and all calls become unlimited, 24-by-7. Away from home, Unik operates like a traditional mobile phone. Unik requires an Orange Broadband subscription, a Livebox, and a special terminal (starting at 99 euros). It will be available in September, 2006.
Orange Optimales, "all included" packages with a switched line, the 8 MégaMax broadband Internet service, digital TV and 24-by-7 call plans.
High Definition Voice for Livebox customers: unlimited IP calls with unequaled sound quality.
High Definition ADSL Television for "HD Ready" TV owners.
Unlimited TV-on-mobile packages, with the TV, Totale TV and Sport options.
Orange is also launching a series of innovations in the UK:
Free Orange Broadband for Orange mobile pay monthly customers. Orange consumers signing up to a new pay monthly mobile contract with a talk plan over £30* will benefit from free broadband. There is no connection fee and the broadband package - worth £17.99 a month - includes up-to-8-meg broadband, an Orange Livebox (wireless modem), and Orange Wireless & Talk - Orange's revolutionary internet phone service which offers free evening and weekend calls to UK landlines.
The promise of one email, one address book, one portal for mobile, fixed-line and broadband.
Cheaper calls to Orange mobiles through new "Anytime" broadband talk service.
A roadmap of future Orange interconnected services.
Orange Business Services
June 1, 2006 also marks the creation of Orange Business Services. The new entity combines the strengths of Equant's international IP network and professional services for multinational organisations, Etrali's financial trading solutions and Orange Business Solutions' existing leadership in mobile technologies for businesses.
The new Orange Business Services organisation will continue to address the different segments of the business market with bespoke products and solutions. Corporate and multinational organisations with see a number of immediate benefits including a unified service management and seamless sales approach of shared customers, and the results of collaborative product development that will build on Orange's leadership in converged technologies.
With the new Orange, France Telecom Group continues to implement its integrated operator strategy, and takes a major step toward fulfilling its promise of simplicity and convergence for its mobile customers - at work and at home.
About France Telecom Group :
France Telecom Group, one of the world's leading telecommunications operators, serves more than 147 million customers on five continents (220 countries or territories) as of March 31, 2006, and reported consolidated revenues of 49 billion Euros by IFRS standards in 2005 (12.8 billion Euros for the 1st quarter 2006).Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in Telecommunications) will allow the Group to pursue its transformation towards the integrated operator model and to make France Telecom Group the benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. On June 1, 2006, Orange thus became the single brand for Internet, television and mobile in France and the United Kingdom, and Orange Business Services the brand name for the services offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom Group is the number two mobile operator and Internet services provider in Europe and among the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
France Telecom Group (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris Eurolist market and on the New York Stock Exchange.
Press contacts :
Nilou du Castel - nilou.ducastel@orange-ft.com or Sébastien Goalès - sebastien.goales@orange-ft.com, +33 (0)1 44 44 93 93
