In line with France Telecom's NExT strategy, the Orange brand is sweeping throughout the France Telecom Group. As of June 1st, Orange Business Services now includes Equant's international IP applications, networks and IT outsourcing, France Telecom's enterprise-class services, and Orange's enterprise mobility.

The good news for the new Orange Business Services is that renaming represents a fresh era for the former Equant and includes the promise of more efficient group synergies and closely integrated fixed/wireless services. The new Orange Business Services organisation provides a structure for greater flexibility in responding to competitive threats in expanded markets, including, for example, SME markets in certain countries.

This is a major event for the France Telecom group and its various opertaions. The company needed to identify and execute a uniform brand to solve fragmented branding issues and the NExT strategy includes the goal of building a leading global integrated operator division from the former Equant entity.

The impact of this news is moderate on the global voice and data services market, because Orange Business Services' portfolio is not immediately more competitive as a result and Orange is not a very well known business brand. However, as the company makes progress with combining integrated applications over multi-access and multi-device topologies, pressure will increase on competitors.

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Bernt Ostergaard
Research Director, Business Telecom Services Europe

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