CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange cinem

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Free Mobile and Orange sign a 2G roaming agreement and agree to extend this to 3G networks

Following a series of negotiations that have taken place over the past few months, Free Mobile (Iliad) and Orange signed a national roaming agreement on 2 March 2011 for their respective 2G networks in France.

Free Mobile and Orange have decided to extend this agreement to cover their 3G networks.

This agreement will take effect once Free Mobile has deployed a network that offers coverage for 25% of the French population. Under the terms of its licence, Free Mobile has taken a clear commitment to deploy a network that offers coverage to at least 90% of the population by 2018.

Free Mobile and Orange sign a 2G roaming agreement and agree to extend this to 3G networks

Following a series of negotiations that have taken place over the past few months, Free Mobile (Iliad) and Orange signed a national roaming agreement on 2 March 2011 for their respective 2G networks in France.

Free Mobile and Orange have decided to extend this agreement to cover their 3G networks.

This agreement will take effect once Free Mobile has deployed a network that offers coverage for 25% of the French population. Under the terms of its licence, Free Mobile has taken a clear commitment to deploy a network that offers coverage to at least 90% of the population by 2018.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange Jobs, the mobile application for finding a job or internship at Orange

Orange launched its new mobile application for job-hunters today. Orange Jobs opens up a world of opportunities for users, even when they are on the move. The application enables users to find a job or internship within the Group, to find out more about the activities and careers on offer and, ultimately, to work at the heart of the digital universe and serve millions of customers.

The mobile application complements the www.orange.jobs recruitment portal, which can already be accessed on a range of screens including PCs, notebooks and mobiles.
Orange Jobs is now available in French and English and can be downloaded for free on iPhones through app stores throughout the world (France, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, India, Senegal, Singapore etc.).
Versions for other platforms (Android, etc.) will soon be available, particularly from the Orange app shop. Orange Jobs - an original employer application - will enrich Orange's already extensive catalogue of mobile applications.

the Orange Jobs application enables users to:
choose their version (classic or students and young graduates) in order to receive dedicated career and recruitment news;
view hundreds of job and internship offers through an easy-to-use interface;
search by country, job category or type of contract (full time, internship, etc.);
perform full text searches;
create real-time alerts corresponding to their search criteria;
select offers on their mobile. This allows them to easily retrieve the offers via their www.orange.jobs profile on their PC, from where they can submit their CV and application;
forward information on job or internship offers to their friends by e-mail or to share it on Facebook;
create or enrich their profiles, which is synchronized between the PC and mobile platforms, enabling them to stay in contact with Orange’s recruitment teams;

As one of the very few companies in the world to offer mobile access to its job and internship offers, Orange is providing a service that is specifically designed to meet the needs of job-hunters who expect responsiveness and dynamism in their career or training.

The Orange Jobs application for iPhone can be downloaded at www.orange.jobs/iphone, by searching for “Orange Jobs” in the app store, or directly by using the following QR code

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

3 new blockbusters in 3D VoD on Orange TV

Orange TV is further strengthening its 3D VoD service
Under an agreement with Paramount Pictures, Orange is offering three new 3D movies on its Video on Demand service: DreamWorks Animations' "Shrek forever after", "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Last Airbender"

Pioneering the development of 3D TV with the creation of a dedicated channel in 2010, Orange took a further step forward in December last year with the launch of a 3D VoD service on Orange TV.
Since the beginning of February, Orange's 3D VoD offering has been further strengthened with three new hit films, available for €7.99 on its Video on Demand service:

"Shrek, forever after", the final installment in the Shrek series, one of DreamWorks Animations' hugely successful animated family movies, seen by almost 4.5 million cinemagoers.
"How to Train Your Dragon", a critically-acclaimed fantasy Viking tale produced by DreamWorks Animations, attracting more than 2.3 million spectators in cinemas.
"The Last Airbender", the blockbuster action movie directed by Night Shyamalan and seen by over 1.1 million people on the big screen.

This service is available to Orange broadband customers with High Definition TV, equipped with a 3D screen and glasses.
These three films are also available in 2D VoD for €3.99 on the Orange TV Video on Demand service and on the orange.fr portal

find out more about Orange and 3D: check out the interview with Ghislaine Le Rhun, head of Orange's 3D project

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Michaël Trabbia appointed Director of Public Affairs

Michaël Trabbia has been appointed Director of Public Affairs of the France Telecom Orange Group. He will report to Pierre Louette, Executive Vice President and Group General Secretary. Mr Trabbia joined France Telecom in January 2011 as Deputy Director of Public Affairs.

He began his career at ARCEP, the French Telecoms and postal services regulator, where he headed up the ‘Mobile Operators’ unit and was responsible for issuing permits and frequencies to mobile operators. He was appointed Technical Adviser to Claudie Haigneré, France’s Deputy Minister for European Affairs, in 2004 and the following year he joined the department of Christian Estrosi, the French Minister for Town and Country Planning, as Technical Adviser for ICT and Europe.

In 2007, he moved to TDF as Director of Strategy and Development and in July 2009, was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of the Industrial Procedures unit within the department of Christian Estrosi, the French Minister for Industry.

Born in 1976, Michaël Trabbia is an engineering graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Télécom ParisTech school, and holds a DEA (post-graduate diploma) in Industrial Economics.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Veolia Water and Orange launch m2o city, a smart metering operator

Veolia Water and Orange are joining forces in the smart metering sector and are launching m2o city, an operator specialized in remote environmental data and water meter reading services. Building on the expertise of Veolia Water -which already operates over 200,000 water meters- and Orange's expertise as a telco, the m2o cityjoint-venture offers as of today a complete turnkey service based on an ultralow consumption radio network* to local authorities, through their municipal agencies or agents for water services. In addition to information from water meters, this network will be able to collect data from environmental sensors (to combat noise or pollution for instance) in line with the expectations of any authorities.

The worldwide water services leader, Veolia Water joins forces with Orange, Europe's leading telco group, to benefit from its expertise for designing and operating networks, especially Machine-to-Machine (M2M). Orange has established itself as a natural partner for moving on to an industrial scale with M2M projects. Veolia Water will use the water metering service of provides by m2o city to improve the quality of the service provided to consumers, optimize the water service's performance and in this way safeguard resources more effectively.

Through their joint-venture, Orange and Veolia Water aim to enable as many people as possible to benefit from their remote meter metering service, helping pave the way for the emergence of a global standard for remote data collection networks. These network technologies are now available for wide-scale deployment and will make it possible to create a multi-application network able to host the services devised by environmental players.

For Jean-Michel Herrewyn, Veolia Water's Chief Executive Officer: "Combining the expertise from both of our groups, this company is developing a new business, as a smart metering service operator benefiting sustainable towns and cities".

Moreover, Vivek Badrinath, Chief Executive Officer of Orange Business Services, confirms that: "We are delighted to be working hand in hand with Veolia on this ambitious partnership. It is perfectly in line with our strategy: joining forces with a major business partner by providing our connectivity and information system management expertise in order to enable the emergence of new M2M services to be used as widely as possible".

* industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) network using the 868 MHz waveband.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange Business Services expands Telepresence inter-exchange with Tata Communications

customers will benefit from extended global collaboration via intercompany Telepresence experience

Orange Business Services has expanded Telepresence Community, its B2B Telepresence solution, through an interoperability agreement with Tata Communications’ Global Meeting Exchange to allow customers to conduct Telepresence meetings seamlessly on each respective network. The collaboration will provide customers of each organization with open access to connect across a much broader business ecosystem.

Launched in July 2010, Telepresence Community enables Orange customers that have invested in immersive video technology to not only hold Telepresence meetings within their own enterprise, but also with customers, suppliers and partners that are either connected to the global MPLS platform of Orange Business Services or that of a partner carrier.

This agreement enables meetings to take place between Telepresence Community customers and any private or public room on the Tata Communications Global Meeting Exchange, and vice versa. Tata Communications currently has the largest global network of public Telepresence rooms and is present in 31 major cities across five continents, with its 33 rooms spanning 17 countries.

Technip, a world leader in oil engineering, technologies and services, participated in a beta test of this new inter-Exchange service. As an existing Orange Telepresence Community customer, Technip held successful Telepresence meetings with one of its business partners who is a Tata Communications’ Telepresence services customer connected to the Global Meeting Exchange and meetings with the Tata Public Room at the Taj Boston.

Commenting on the trial, Bruno Bligny, in charge of the Telepresence project at Technip, said: "We see this expansion of the Orange Telepresence Community and the partnership with Tata Communications as a major benefit for investing in this collaborative technology in order to enhance communication with our global team, our customers and our partners.”

According to Marc Blanchet, senior vice president of Global Communications Solutions, Orange Business Services: “Video will be a major growth area over the next few years as enterprises realize the benefits it delivers in terms of increased productivity, intimacy with partners, cost savings and environmental protection. In fact, we have already seen a 130 percent increase in sales of Telepresence rooms over the past 12 months. Interconnection with Tata Communications is particularly exciting due to its growing base of global and regional enterprise customers and ongoing investment in public Telepresence rooms around the world. This collaboration significantly broadens the scope of Telepresence opportunities.”

Peter Quinlan, vice president, Telepresence Managed Services, Tata Communications, commented: “We are pleased to now support meetings between customers on Tata Communications’ Global Meeting Exchange and those within the Orange Telepresence Community. Based on the excitement expressed by our customers in initial successful meetings held in advance of this announcement, we anticipate strong demand for collaboration across the Orange and Tata Communications Exchanges. We are also pleased to welcome Orange customers to Tata Communications’ Public Room network, which they can now access for even greater collaboration opportunities across their business ecosystem.”

With Orange Business Services, customers benefit from a Telepresence network accessible in 140 countries and Telepresence Community in 45 countries with additional coverage planned in 2011. Telepresence Community – Inter Carrier is available to customers using TelePresence equipment from Cisco Systems; in addition, plans are underway to expand to vendors with other systems in order to enlarge the global Telepresence community.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange Business Services wins contract with New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Orange Business Services, a leading global integrator of communications solutions for multinational corporations, today announced it has won a new contract to deliver global networking services for New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, adding to the many public sector organizations and more than 10 foreign ministries that it already supports.

Allan Sainsbury, director, Information & Communications Technology Division, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said: “Orange Business Services demonstrated the capability to deliver a network solution that will provide a platform for enhanced collaboration tools for our staff.”

Under this new agreement, Orange Business Services provides networking services to connect New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade with relevant government agencies and global offices across 56 sites in 52 countries. The network is based on MPLS VPN and Internet VPN technologies to provide secure and reliable connectivity for voice, video, remote access, mobile working and unified communications, at all times.

Orange Business Services created a network model designed to provide the most economically viable solution for New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, while providing a transparent cost allocation model.

“There are few organizations that depend as much on their international connectivity as ministries of foreign affairs,” said Tim Cavill, managing director – Australia and New Zealand, Orange Business Services. “With offices across the globe, often in remote locations and in countries with limited infrastructure, these organizations rely on their network to keep in touch with embassies, no matter what international disruptions occur. Orange Business Services will give New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade access to the world’s largest network, along with the peace of mind that network security and business continuity are at the very forefront of our business.”

Orange Business Services has extensive experience providing integrated ICT services to ministries of foreign affairs including: Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

“We have developed a strong reputation for our ability to support governments on a global scale to improve their operations with reliable and secure communications solutions,” said Daniel Delestre, senior vice president, Global Sales, Marketing and External Communications, Orange Business Services. “Our services and the strengths of our international network ensure the business continuity and risk protection our customers need. This contract with New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade adds to our list of long-term customers in this domain and enhances our position as the leading

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

dive into the transmedia and 3D relief universe of The Prodigies

The first 100% 3D movie and campaign

discover
The unprecedented transmedia project, devised and produced by Orange and Warner Bros
The first music video produced in 3D relief
And the 3D trailer for the movie exclusively on the TV d’Orange 3D channel

The Prodigies, the movie
In cinemas from June 8, THE PRODIGIES combines the essence of Bernard Lentéric’s best-selling science-fiction novel La Nuit des enfants rois with cutting-edge technology.
Co-distributed by Warner Bros. and Studio 37, THE PRODIGIES is co-produced by Onyx Films and Fidélité.

the story
Five teenage prodigies with an extraordinary intellect have the ability to take control of our bodies. They don’t know each other yet, but they are aware of their difference. Jimbo Farrar is like them and has decided to bring them together in New York. But on the night of their meeting, they are savagely attacked in Central Park. Devastated by the ordeal, and then betrayed by the ***** world, they decide to take control of their destiny. Joined together as one, their strength and vengeance will be limitless. Jimbo will have to choose whether to fight his five fellow prodigies or join them and abandon the people he loves.

Orange, partner and director of an unprecedented transmedia project
In association with Warner Bros. and Studio 37, Orange has been involved in developing a totally innovative and participatory "transmedia" narrative device that plunges the audience into the movie’s fascinating universe.
After a teasing game phase launched among bloggers and gamers in February via the www.whereareyou.fr website, Orange has now opened up this adventure to everyone!

recruitment of the Prodigies has begun!
Brought into the heart of the story by a game that is connected to real life, participants are invited to reveal their Prodigy potential via the www.prodigies-test.com website, the movie’s Facebook page (facebook.com/prodigies) or smartphones (iPhones and Android).
Players can test their skills (intelligence, memory, deduction, telekinesis and destruction) via web and mobile games and a mobile « The Prodigies Test » application specifically developed for this purpose.
Progress through the adventure requires players to perform different actions:
- recover codes from the website and in partner stores using geolocation,
- decode clues using their cell phone by means of QR codes,
- decrypt messages on the Internet, radio, or at live events, etc.

Different prizes are up for grabs throughout the game: cinema tickets, cell phones, 3D TVs and Blu-Ray 3D players, a trip to New-York, red carpet treatment in Cannes, and more.

innovative and exclusive content on the Orange 3D channel
Orange’s involvement in this project, alongside leading players, strengthens its commitment to promoting innovation, 3D creation and the best digital technology for all.

the first 3D music video
Orange and Warner have created a 3D relief video for the single from The Prodigies movie – a world exclusive for music videos. This new content will be available soon on the Orange 3D channel exclusively.

exclusive images from the movie at Orange
Discover the long-awaited 3D trailer of The Prodigies from April 20 exclusively on the TV d’Orange 3D channel, and in equipped cinemas from April 27.
The Orange TV's Channel 3D (channel 30) is freely available to Orange broadband customers with High Definition TV (fiber, ADSL or satellite), equipped with a 3D screen and glasses.

The Prodigies, a visual revolution
The first 3D native and motion capture movie, The Prodigies provides a strong visual experience and a radically new way to be transported into images.

an extraordinary range of talents:
The Prodigies has brought together a team of talented individuals from different image-related professions to create this unique cinematic experience:
- Antoine Charreyron, director and motion capture expert, has worked on the creation of many special effects sequences for video games such as Terminator, Tomb Raider or 50 cents.
- Viktor Antonov, designed the graphic universe of the movie. He is the artistic director of Half Life 2, the world’s most award-winning video game,
- Humberto Ramos and Francisco Herrera, part of a rising generation of young talents and character creators at Marvel. Artists for the Spiderman and X-Men comics,
- Matthieu Kassovitz, interprets the voice of Jimbo, the hero.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange and les inRocKuptibles magazine join forces to offer a new music programme, the "Live Inrocks Selection"

Orange and les Inrockuptibles join their forces with to present its new music programme, the "Live Inrocks Selection" on April 15th. The programme will be available to subscribers to Orange TV on channel 130 and free of charge VoD on the Video Party portal and for mobile customers on the Orange portal in the music section.

The editorial staff at Inrocks has chosen 15 not-to-be-missed concerts from the Orange VoD music catalogue with contemporary artists, including big names from the world of rock and the French music scene.

For every one of the concerts, spectators will be able to enjoy the informed commentary of Johanna Seban, a journalist at Inrockuptibles who will be hosting the new show. During the two-and-a-half-hour programme she will present the artist or group and tell you why the concert is important in their careers. The programme will also contain extracts from the concert in question.

The show will start on 15 April with a programme dedicated to a concert by Gorillaz, “Demon Days Live”.

This will be followed by fourteen other specially selected concerts every two weeks among which Gossip « Live in Paris», Vanessa Paradis « Divinidylle Tour », and The Who « Live at Isle of Wight »

All the concerts are available within the Orange TV channel packages (“Bouquet Musique” and “Bouquet Extra”) and for rental on the Orange VoD service, accessible by both TV and internet.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange to form procurement joint venture

Procurement 50/50 joint venture to be established in the fourth quarter of 2011
1.3 billion Euros combined savings of annual run-rate after three years of implementation for both groups due to technology harmonization and economies of scale
Smart industry cooperation and next chapter in partnership announced on
February 11, 2011

Deutsche Telekom AG and France Telecom-Orange have agreed to combine their procurement activities of customer equipment, network equipment, service platforms and - starting with four pilot-projects - IT-Infrastructure in a 50/50 joint venture. For this purpose they have today signed a non-binding Term Sheet which will be the basis for final contracts yet to be negotiated.

With this procurement cooperation Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange will be entering a new era of smart industry cooperation. Both groups will be able to bring sustained benefits and savings to their respective customers as well as ensuring that their businesses will be more competitive. Suppliers will benefit through the harmonization of equipment and features that will enable them to streamline their development activities and further generate synergies and efficiencies.

For Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange the run-rate after three years of implementation in potential global savings is estimated at above 400 million Euros and below 900 million Euros respectively. Savings from alignment for commercial benefit in network equipment in the first three years of the joint venture operations will be balanced out.

“I am very excited to announce this new project with Deutsche Telekom. By combining our procurement activities, our customers will benefit from the best networks, improved services and the widest choice of devices across our footprint,” said Olaf Swantee, Executive Vice President Europe and Sourcing at France Telecom-Orange. “The new joint venture will offer a more efficient sourcing organisation that will lead to more effective partnerships with suppliers. This will enable us to drive innovation and shape the development of technology in a way that meets customers’ needs.”

“Operators are expected to invest more than ever in networks and infrastructure as data usage increases exponentially and efforts to reduce the digital divide are being ramped-up,” said Edward R. Kozel, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of Deutsche Telekom. “With France Telecom-Orange we have an experienced and trusted partner who shares the same approach regarding economies of scale as well as customer benefits in technology harmonization.”

The jointly owned and operated entity will have two operational units in Bonn and Paris, and will provide measurable value in terms of experience and economies of scale for the benefit of both groups and their respective customers. The partnership expects significant synergy benefits through best practise sharing, leveraging global scale and harmonized technology processes.

The operational units in Paris and Bonn will be staffed by employees from the respective procurement departments of both groups that already deal with purchasing
customer equipment, network technology, service platforms, IT-Infrastructure and procurement engineering. Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange are currently in talks with unions and its social partners regarding the necessary set-up processes. The final agreement is expected to be signed in the coming weeks, and remains subject to the necessary board approvals at Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange. In addition, the creation of the procurement joint venture will be subject to antitrust clearance.

The procurement joint venture is the result of bilateral exploratory talks between Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange, following the joint announcement in February this year to identify potential areas of cooperation in radio access network sharing in Europe, WiFi roaming, equipment harmonization, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) services and a set of new growth business development areas.

[easydigital]

Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

The new joint venture will offer a more efficient sourcing organisation Two of Europe's largest telecoms companies - Deutche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange launches Cinéday: Tuesdays change with Orange!

Orange Cinéday, a generous offer: every Tuesday, all Orange customers can invite the person of their choice to the cinema
An innovative initiative inspired by a Europe wide success which further confirms the brand’s longstanding commitment to cinema


Orange invites its customers to get together to watch a film

Starting on Tuesday 10th May, on a weekly basis, Orange will be
inviting its customers to enjoy a film with the person of their choice. On every Tuesday in the year they will receive a free entry for each entry bought for the same film, for the same screening, with friends, as a couple or as a family!

With Cinéday, Orange continues to build the relationship between the brand and its customers with a generous initiative. The Cinéday offer is open to all private Orange customers in mainland France; internet, Open and mobile customers (including fixed packages and prepaid cards).

It’s simple and easy; all they have to do is order their Cinéday code any time from the Wednesday before their chosen film is screened until that Tuesday, even for a film showing the same day.

Orange mobile customers send an SMS to 20 000 (at normal rates) or connect to the Cinéday application on an Android mobile phone or an iPhone.
Internet customers log on to www.cineday.fr.

On Tuesday, they can go to any participating cinema with their code and receive a free entry in addition to the ticket they have bought.

They can use as many Cinéday codes as they have Orange accounts. For example, Cinéday can make a cultural family outing relatively inexpensive: with Orange mobile phones and Orange internet at home, they can easily obtain a number of free entries. Customers with Open accounts can even obtain 2 free entries in exchange for 2 bought (one for their mobile phone line and one for their internet offer).

Orange Cinéday is currently available in major cinema chains and in many independent theatres and plans to continue expanding. An up to date list is available on cineday.fr.


Orange Cinéday at the heart of digital technology!

Orange wants to create a real community that uses innovative and exclusive programmes on a daily basis:

A Cinéday application on Android and iPhone on which mobile phone users can easily find the participating cinemas, trailers and the times films are shown.

Using the Cinéday site (www.cineday.fr) and their Orange Facebook pages, internets user will be able to access:
o Ciné invit’: they will be able to create a customisable (text, photo…) virtual voice card to invite friends to the cinema
o A game to win previews of films with a game exclusively for Orange customers
o Fun and off-beat mini-surveys with the latest news on films

On Dailymotion, using a Cinéday player, they will be able to watch off-beat videos made by Motion makers on the subject of invitations.


An innovative offer that Orange has already successfully launched internationally

Orange Cinéday is based on a concept that was launched in the United Kingdom in 2004, Orange Wednesdays. More than 27 million customers have used the service since it was launched.

Following this success, the concept has been rolled out in 8 other countries: Armenia, Austria, Kenya, Luxemburg, Poland, Dominican Republic, Romania and Switzerland.

To ensure success in France, Orange approached some of the major players in the market place. From the very outset the operator consulted the FNCF (National Federation of French Cinemas) about the relevance of adapting the concept to the French market.


Orange & cinema: a longstanding, rich and fruitful partnership

This operation is part of a longstanding story of collaboration between Orange and the film industry and also helps to strengthen the close relationship with cinema theatre operators.

Every day Orange provides further evidence of its support for cinema in all its diversity. This commitment means that Orange is present at every stage in the life of the films, from production at Studio 37 to the day they are released and to digital distribution on the screens of televisions, computers and mobile phones as part of the Orange cinema series.

This year Orange is the official exclusive telecommunications and new media sponsor of the 64th edition of the International Film Festival in Cannes, a privileged partnership that began 10 years ago. For the third year running Orange will be coproducing and broadcasting television coverage of the Festival on its TV, internet and mobile phone networks.

Orange launches Cinéday: Tuesdays change with Orange!

Orange Cinéday, a generous offer: every Tuesday, all Orange customers can invite the person of their choice to the cinema
An innovative initiative inspired by a Europe wide success which further confirms the brand’s longstanding commitment to cinema


Orange invites its customers to get together to watch a film

Starting on Tuesday 10th May, on a weekly basis, Orange will be
inviting its customers to enjoy a film with the person of their choice. On every Tuesday in the year they will receive a free entry for each entry bought for the same film, for the same screening, with friends, as a couple or as a family!

With Cinéday, Orange continues to build the relationship between the brand and its customers with a generous initiative. The Cinéday offer is open to all private Orange customers in mainland France; internet, Open and mobile customers (including fixed packages and prepaid cards).

It’s simple and easy; all they have to do is order their Cinéday code any time from the Wednesday before their chosen film is screened until that Tuesday, even for a film showing the same day.

Orange mobile customers send an SMS to 20 000 (at normal rates) or connect to the Cinéday application on an Android mobile phone or an iPhone.
Internet customers log on to www.cineday.fr.

On Tuesday, they can go to any participating cinema with their code and receive a free entry in addition to the ticket they have bought.

They can use as many Cinéday codes as they have Orange accounts. For example, Cinéday can make a cultural family outing relatively inexpensive: with Orange mobile phones and Orange internet at home, they can easily obtain a number of free entries. Customers with Open accounts can even obtain 2 free entries in exchange for 2 bought (one for their mobile phone line and one for their internet offer).

Orange Cinéday is currently available in major cinema chains and in many independent theatres and plans to continue expanding. An up to date list is available on cineday.fr.


Orange Cinéday at the heart of digital technology!

Orange wants to create a real community that uses innovative and exclusive programmes on a daily basis:

A Cinéday application on Android and iPhone on which mobile phone users can easily find the participating cinemas, trailers and the times films are shown.

Using the Cinéday site (www.cineday.fr) and their Orange Facebook pages, internets user will be able to access:
o Ciné invit’: they will be able to create a customisable (text, photo…) virtual voice card to invite friends to the cinema
o A game to win previews of films with a game exclusively for Orange customers
o Fun and off-beat mini-surveys with the latest news on films

On Dailymotion, using a Cinéday player, they will be able to watch off-beat videos made by Motion makers on the subject of invitations.


An innovative offer that Orange has already successfully launched internationally

Orange Cinéday is based on a concept that was launched in the United Kingdom in 2004, Orange Wednesdays. More than 27 million customers have used the service since it was launched.

Following this success, the concept has been rolled out in 8 other countries: Armenia, Austria, Kenya, Luxemburg, Poland, Dominican Republic, Romania and Switzerland.

To ensure success in France, Orange approached some of the major players in the market place. From the very outset the operator consulted the FNCF (National Federation of French Cinemas) about the relevance of adapting the concept to the French market.


Orange & cinema: a longstanding, rich and fruitful partnership

This operation is part of a longstanding story of collaboration between Orange and the film industry and also helps to strengthen the close relationship with cinema theatre operators.

Every day Orange provides further evidence of its support for cinema in all its diversity. This commitment means that Orange is present at every stage in the life of the films, from production at Studio 37 to the day they are released and to digital distribution on the screens of televisions, computers and mobile phones as part of the Orange cinema series.

This year Orange is the official exclusive telecommunications and new media sponsor of the 64th edition of the International Film Festival in Cannes, a privileged partnership that began 10 years ago. For the third year running Orange will be coproducing and broadcasting television coverage of the Festival on its TV, internet and mobile phone networks.

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Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Orange official sponsor of 64th Cannes Film Festival

Orange is the official, exclusive telecoms and new media sponsor of the 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This privileged arrangement with one of the greatest events of the seventh art, undertaken more than 10 years ago, is the perfect illustration of Orange’s ongoing commitment to cinema of all kinds.

In France, Orange will be showing the Festival on all its media, including its internet portals, Orange mobile phones, its video on demand service, Orange TV and the Orange cinema series package. And, for the first time this year, the Cannes Film Festival and Orange will be launching the official Cannes Film Festival application for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry.

For Orange cinema also means coproducing and pre-purchasing films. This year, 5 films supported by Orange will be screened in Cannes:
- “Habemus Papam” by Nanni Moretti, an official entry in the competition and pre-purchased for the second window by Orange cinema series
- “The Artist” by Michel Hazanavicius and starring Jean Dujardin, to be shown off competition in Cannes and coproduced by Studio 37
- “Michel Petrucciani” by Michael Radford, to be given a special screening and pre-purchased for the first window by Orange cinema series
- “Jeanne Captive” by Philippe Ramos, to be shown during directors’ fortnight and pre-purchased for the first and second windows by Orange cinema series
- “Les Géants” by Bouli Lanners to be shown during directors’ fortnight and pre-purchased for the first window by Orange cinema series

An exceptional multi-media campaign

“Cannes Film Festival TV” on all media
For the third year running, Orange is coproducing and will be broadcasting TV coverage of the Festival on its TV, internet and mobile platforms. The official Festival channel will be inviting the audience to live to the rhythm of the most televised cultural event in the world, with its red carpet, interviews with stars, press conferences, photo calls and more…

Cannes on demand with VoD
Video on demand catches up with Cannes! Until 23 May, more than 100 films will be available on demand on Orange TV and video party, with four completely new selections:
- the highlights of the 2010 Festival with a choice of over 40 films of which 12 that left their mark on the official competition including Uncle Boonmee who can recall his past lives (Golden Palm), Des Hommes et des Dieux (Grand Prix) and Biutiful (prize for best actor).
- films with the giants of Hollywood: Robert de Niro, Anthony Hopkins, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Paul Newman…
- a selection of works from the Middle East: Taste of Cherry (Golden Palm 1997), Uzak (Grand Prix 2003) and Ajami (2009 fortnight: Golden Camera).
- Cannes blockbusters discovered on the red carpet: Basic Instinct, The Pianist…

Orange cinema series wears the colours of the Festival
The Orange cinema series package is back on the Croisette for the 64th Cannes Film Festival from 11th to 22nd May with an exceptional programme:
- the Ciné, séries & cie programme presented by Sophie Soulignac is to be renamed Cannes, séries & cie for the occasion.
- a special evening show will be broadcast live from the Palace terrace with the Festival prize winners.
- the film industry will also be honoured with themed evenings dedicated to the legendary Cannes directors: Robert de Niro, this year’s President of the Jury, Pedro Almodovar, Woody Allen, Gus Van Sant and Brillante Mendoza.
Orange cinema series will also be paying homage to the women who have impressed the Croisette with their talent, with a month in honour of Jane Campion, the first woman to win the Golden Palm in 1993 with The Piano Lesson.

The official Festival application
This year, for the first time the Cannes Film Festival and Orange have developed the official 2011 Cannes Film Festival application for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. Cinema fans will be the first to be informed about news from the Festival, the screenings, must-see events, prize winners and more.
As a bonus, the Festival goers will be able to receive early warnings and practical information so that they don’t miss a thing during the fortnight and so transform the event into their very own Festival!

Orange in Cannes

As part of the ongoing partnership started with the Cannes Film Festival a number of years ago Orange will be providing the telecommunications equipment for the event and plans to offer all accredited journalists the services of the Wi-Fi Café. The Orange beach will also be hosting film industry professionals and the film crews for their meetings, press junkets and free time. Finally, dining on the Orange beach will be provided by celebrity chefs from the Thiou and Marius et Janette restaurants.

[powerman]

Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

France Telecom-Orange reports solid first quarter results, in line with its guidance for 2011, despite intensified pressures in certain markets

Group customers totalled 215.9 million at 31 March 2011, a 7.0% year-on-year increase on a comparable basis, led by 25% mobile growth in Africa and the Middle East.

Consolidated revenues increased 0.4% to 11.228 billion euros, excluding the impact of regulatory measures, with mobile services performing well in France (+5.9%), Spain (+7.0%) and Poland (+4.5%), driven by the success of smartphones and segmented offers.

Rapid growth continued in emerging markets, despite difficult conditions in Egypt and Côte d’Ivoire.

Restated EBITDA was 3.734 billion euros in the first quarter of 2011. The EBITDA margin was 33.3%, down 1.3 percentage points versus the first quarter of 2010, notably due to the unfavourable impact of the partial pass-through of the VAT increase starting 1 January 2011.

CAPEX was equal to 9.6% of revenues, representing 1.081 billion euros in investments, in line with the target CAPEX rate of about 13% for the year.

First quarter results are in line with the Group's guidance for 2011. The Group renews its commitment to paying a dividend of 1.40 euros per share for 2011 and 2012.


Commenting on the operating results for the first quarter of 2011, the Chairman and CEO of France Telecom-Orange, Stéphane Richard, said:

“The Group’s operating and financial performance for the first quarter is strong, despite intensified competition in France and exceptional political conditions in certain emerging countries.

“In France, the Group successfully overcame increased market turbulence and regulatory changes – most notably following the increase in VAT – with significant gains in the ADSL market thanks to the success of the Open quadruple play offer. The Group was also able to address difficult conditions in Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia. The Group performed very well in Spain, with revenues growing 4%, as well as in the continually improving Enterprise market.

[powerman]

Re: CANAL+ and Orange announce their plan to create a joint venture to merge Orange c

Vincent Benoit appointed Group VP Mergers and Acquisitions

Vincent Benoit has been appointed Head of Mergers and Acquisitions for the France Telecom-Orange Group, reporting to Gervais Pellissier, Executive Vice President for Finance and Information Systems. He joined the Group in 2006 as Head of Investor Relations. Since 2009, he has also been Head of the Strategy and Planning.

Vincent Benoit began his career in 1990 as an auditor at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, before joining the Bull group in 1994 as an auditor. Then in 1995, he was appointed as a special project manager to oversee the privatization operations carried out in 1997, in addition to taking on responsibility for employee shareholding and financial communications.

In 2000, he joined the bank ING Barings as a financial analyst and European head of the IT Services sector. Before moving to France Telecom-Orange, he served as Head of Financial Communications for Areva from 2001 to 2006.

Born in 1967, Vincent Benoit attended ESC-Bordeaux and has a post-graduate DESCF in accounting and finance.