Orange Business Services Received "Carrier Ethernet Best in Business 2006" Award at the World Ethernet Operators Congress in Madrid

Business Wire, Oct 23, 2006

PARIS -- Orange Business Services received the "Carrier Ethernet Best in Business 2006" award from Metro Ethernet Forum(a) (MEF) for its metropolitan area network (MAN) Ethernet solution. This represents the recognition of Orange Business Services as one of the leading operators supporting Ethernet market development in Europe.

Orange Business Services as an Ethernet Network Leader

The prize, awarded in the presence of more than 400 representatives of equipment industry and telecommunications operators, is a recognition of Orange Business Services' strategy in favor of deployment of Ethernet services in Europe through its MAN Ethernet solution. This solution permits companies to have very high speed MANs between their sites located in major cities. They unify all of their local networks around a single, highly secure virtual private network, benefiting from high speed to support various data flows and provide permanent access to data.

MAN Ethernet has also received the "MEF 9 Certified Service Provider" compliance certification, guaranteeing an Ethernet service quality level compliant with MEF standards for Orange Business Services' customers.

Ethernet Networks and Services, a Fully Expanding Market

According to the recent Infonetics Research report, "Ethernet Services market size and forecast," the world market of Ethernet services should grow by 280% between 2005 and 2009. Orange Business Services expects a significant growth of its market share.

Today, Orange Business Services offers Ethernet solutions to domestic companies and multinational organizations in the main metropolitan centers (15 European countries, the United States and Australia). Orange Business Services is one of the first operators in the world to propose a "MPLS Ethernet" service. At the same time, its IP VPN offer is complemented with a new component of unified access to data centers based on the Ethernet technology.

(a)MEF is a leading global organization of more than 90 telecommunications and computer companies. Its mission is to accelerate adoption of Ethernet networks and services worldwide.

About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services represents the business communications solutions and services provided by the France Telecom Group as of June 1st, 2006. They were previously sold under the France Telecom, Orange, Equant, Etrali, Almerys, EGT, Expertel Consulting, France Telecom Intelmatique, SETIB and Solicia brands.

The offers include converged voice, data and mobile services as well as IT expertise and managed services, all designed to transform business processes and improve productivity. Orange Business Services is present in 166 countries and territories and serves customers in 220.

www.orange-business.com