FT, VNPT Cooperate

PARIS -- Yesterday, France Telecom signed a cooperation agreement with the Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications (VNPT) Group to mark the visit to France by Nguyen Tan Dung, the Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The agreement signed by Didier Lombard, France Telecom's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Pham Long Tran, the Chairman of VNPT, aims to develop cooperation programs between these two telecommunications operators, and includes two commitments for the partners:

Under the Orange Research Associates Program, France Telecom has made a commitment to welcome PhD-level Vietnamese students from the PTIT (Post and Telecom Institute of Technology, an integral part of VNPT) as trainees from early 2008, with their program to be carried out, through the Orange Labs network, in the Group's 16 research centers around the world.

The two partners are also announcing the launch of the PTIT Orange Academy. This joint taskforce will work to set up a high-level initial and professional training centre focusing on telecoms. The Academy will specialize in advanced mobile telecommunications technologies and in management of information and communication technologies.

As part of France Telecom corporate responsibility programme, this agreement reflects the Group's commitment to forge a long-term partnership with the Vietnamese operator and significantly contribute to the development of the information technologies sector in this country while helping more people benefit from our research, products and services.

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