Air France Offers Orange WiFi

PARIS -- Air France and Orange France have announced a partnership that will make Orange WiFi service available in all 54 airport lounges operated by Air France around the world. The lounges will all be equipped to become Orange hotspots.

The network will be fully deployed within 18 months, enabling Air France's business customers to enjoy the advantages of broadband Internet and the comfort of wireless Internet access at airports.

Within the scope of this agreement the France Telecom group will provide Air France's business customers with a secure, powerful and easy to use WiFi solution. This accord consolidates Orange's position as the benchmark in WiFi in France and the rest of the world, with the largest network of hotspots in service by the end of 2003, spanning hotels, airports and other key sites.

WiFi wireless technology enables access to broadband network in any situation, especially for nomadic users who are away from their home or office.

Orange WiFi terminals in these lounges will give passengers mobile access to email, the Web or corporate Intranets, as well as a variety of other data transmission applications.

This new service mainly targets Air France business travelers, a growing number of whom travel with laptop computers.

The Orange WiFi network will cover all lounges operated by Air France in each airport. Travelers will benefit from best-in-class service, including 24/7 assistance (in French and English), plus a variety of access and payment solutions (prepaid cards, billing to mobile phone or Internet account, etc.).

The rollout calendar calls for deployment in the Air France "Espace" lounges at Roissy Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports within the next several weeks.

Hot spots will then be set up by the end of the year to cover the airline's 25 most frequently used lounges around the world, including London Heathrow, New York JFK and Tokyo Narita, etc.

By the end of 2004, the Orange WiFi network will be available in all Air France lounges worldwide.

This program reflects Air France's ongoing commitment to bring its customers the benefits of new technologies that make their travel more convenient and comfortable.

"Air France selected Orange on the strength of its technical expertise and the fact that Orange has the largest base of business customers in France. This allows us to satisfy the needs of the largest number of passengers," said Air France marketing vice president Patrick Roux.

"This agreement reflects the way our customers will be able to use the Orange WiFi service, whether in an Air France lounge or from their room at an Accor hotel. It reflects Orange's commitment to providing customers with convenient services that allow them to easily work at every stage in a business trip," adds Yves Tyrode, director of data marketing services at Orange France.

Orange SA