Orange Goes to Africa

PARIS -- Following the recent acquisition of mobile licenses in Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, France Telecom announces today that it has further strengthened its presence in Africa by acquiring a mobile and internet license in the Central African Republic. Indeed, France Telecom has just signed an agreement with the Central African State for a mobile and internet license, with the commercial activities of Orange's new subsidiary in this country scheduled to start up before the end of the year.This new presence in Central Africa represents a further breakthrough for the Orange brand in Africa and internationally. On the continent, Orange is already present in Botswana, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mali and Senegal, serving nearly 10 million customers in this region. France Telecom also has first-rate positions in Egypt, Jordan and Mauritius, with more than 13 million customers in these three countries.

Marc Rennard, Executive Director, International, Africa, Middle East and Asia, France Telecom:"Following the recent deployment of the Orange brand in Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, the acquisition of a new mobile license in the Central African Republic confirms Orange's commitment to strengthening its presence on this continent. Thanks to this new operation, we are going to be able to contribute to the development of telecommunications infrastructures in the Central African Republic, while actively helping open up the country's interior, providing Central African citizens with quality services in line with the international standards of our Orange brand".

Orange (NYSE: FTE)