Orange Business Services is the leading global provider of Ethernet Services for the third consecutive year, according to Vertical Systems Group’s Full-Year 2011 Global Provider Leaderboard. The Global Provider Leaderboard measures retail business Ethernet ports installed at customer sites outside of a provider’s primary home country.

The development of very high-speed broadband networks is one of the driving forces of France Telecom-Orange’s corporate project, Conquests 2015. Very high-speed network development is an important factor that will stimulate economic growth and competition in the future. To achieve this ambition, Orange continues investing in Ethernet Services with a goal of providing 100Mb-10G/s Ethernet access worldwide for strategic customer sites, enabling customers to expand their networks, especially in emerging markets.

Orange Business Services offers International Ethernet Link in 40 countries and Ethernet access to IP-based VPN in 72 countries, up from 62 countries last year.

“Orange Business Services’ broad worldwide service reach helped the company achieve the top position on the 2011 Global Provider Ethernet Leaderboard,” said Rick Malone, principal at Vertical Systems Group. “During the past year, global Ethernet access has become increasingly important for multinational enterprises as they support cloud-based services and higher bandwidth applications.”

“We are very pleased to be at the top of the Ethernet Services Full-Year Leaderboard for the third consecutive year,” said Nicolas Roy, head of the Network Solutions Business Unit, Orange Business Services. “This recognition exemplifies the ambition Orange Business Services has to continue emphasizing high-speed broadband as a key growth area.”

About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services, the France Telecom-Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is a leading global integrator of communications solutions for multinational corporations. With the world's largest, seamless network for voice and data, Orange Business Services reaches 220 countries and territories with local support in 166. Offering a comprehensive package of communication services covering cloud computing, enterprise mobility, M2M, security, unified communications, videoconferencing, and broadband, Orange Business Services delivers a best-in-class customer experience across a global landscape. Thousands of enterprise customers and 1.4 million mobile data users rely on an Orange Business Services international platform for communicating and conducting business. Orange Business Services is a four-time winner of Best Global Operator at the World Communication Awards. Learn more at www.orange-business.com.

France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 172,000 employees worldwide and sales of 45.3 billion euros in 2011. Orange is the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.

About Vertical Systems Group

Vertical Systems Group (www.verticalsystems.com) is recognized worldwide as a leading market research and strategic consulting firm specializing in defensible quantification of the networking industry.