Orange Business Services Named a Leader for Managed Global MPLS Services, According to Independent Research Firm.

Orange Business Services is named a leader in The Forrester Wave™: Managed Global MPLS Services, Q4 20091, published in October 2009 by Forrester Research Inc., an independent research firm.

Forrester evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of the providers across 54 criteria in three main categories: current offering, strategy and market presence.

In assessing the highest score of Orange Business Services in current offering, Forrester stated: "Orange has the broadest global MPLS service portfolio, the most comprehensive and widely available access choices, and received very high scores for network performance. It tied with [another vendor] for the very strong operations support systems and processes supporting managed MPLS and with [two vendors] for the quality of its NOC technical staff. It also received high customer satisfaction feedback, got very high scores for its go-to-market strategy, and high scores for service pricing, global sales and technical support capabilities, and its customer base."

"Based on Business VPN, our industry-leading Managed Global MPLS Services, we are very pleased Forrester's report recognizes Orange Business Services as a leader," said Axel Haentjens, vice president, Marketing, Brand & External Communications, Orange Business Services. "Innovation coupled with our historical strengths makes us a leader in managing complex communications needs while our intensified focus on real-time business and M2M provides customers new ways to innovate, save money, and protect the environment."

To view the full report, click here. 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 Sept. 30, 2009, the Group had a customer base of 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 telecommunications 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 Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom. [sup.1] "The Forrester WAVE™: Managed Global MPLS Services, Q4 2009," by Brownlee Thomas, Ph.D. with Christine Ferrusi

Ross, Phil Sayer, and Sean Galvin (October, 2009)

Keywords: Advertising, Audio and Video, Broadband, Broadband Internet, Communications, Electronics, Finance, Internet, Investing, Investment, Marketing, New York Stock Exchange, Other Technology, Stock Market, Technology, Telecommunications, Television, VoIP, World Wide Web, Orange Business Services.

This article was prepared by Internet Business Newsweekly editors from staff and other reports.