(27 March 2007) FreeMove, the mobile telecommunications alliance between Orange, TeliaSonera, TIM (Telecom Italia Group) and T-Mobile, and Bridge Mobile Alliance today announce the two alliances have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pave the way for establishing an alliance-to-alliance cooperation across their combined global footprint. Bridge Mobile Alliance is Asia Pacific’s largest mobile alliance covering 10 markets and over 130 million customers. Together with FreeMove, Europe’s leading mobile alliance, the alliances’ cooperation would cover 38 countries and about 400 million customers across Europe, Americas and Asia. The focus of the alliances’ cooperation would be to create benefits for more seamless roaming experience by users when they roam on the alliances’ members’ networks, and to provide multi-national enterprise customers with global services and one-stop shopping capability across continents. The cooperation will also evaluate opportunities for knowledge sharing between the two alliances. Paolo Murri, Chairman of the FreeMove Management Board commented: “Business between Europe and Asia keeps growing and so is the demand for mobile services by companies and travelers. We assume that this trend will continue and foresee the opportunity for FreeMove and Bridge Mobile Alliance to be the first to offer a global approach to those customers with a presence in both continents.” Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Bridge Mobile Alliance said: “It is our vision that an alliance cooperation between FreeMove and Bridge Mobile Alliance will create benefits to customers such as better quality of service when they roam, and getting access to more value added offers from the alliances. Enterprises with global offices could also benefit from the cooperation by joint offerings from the alliances. By leveraging the combined strengths of the alliances, we would have a unique position to better serve our customers and also our members.” In the next months, FreeMove and Bridge Mobile Alliance will embark on defining the specific cooperation initiatives to be announced in due course. For more information, please contact: Bridge Mobile Burson-Marsteller
Bridge Mobile Alliance offers significant commercial benefits and economies of scale to alliance members. Through close collaboration, alliance members can leverage on collective capabilities and best practices to develop innovative mobile services for the Asia Pacific market. Bridge Mobile Alliance will invest up to US$40 million to build and establish a shared regional mobile infrastructure, and to deliver a wider suite of regional mobile services. More importantly, Bridge Mobile Alliance is focused on creating a consistent delivery of mobile services across the region, thereby offering customers a seamless experience beyond borders. For more information, visit www.bridgemobile.com About FreeMove About Orange In June, 2006, as part of the France Telecom integrated operator strategy (NExT programme) to deliver simple, convergent products, Orange became the single brand for mobile, internet and tv offers in France, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands and in Spain, strengthening Orange’s position as the number two mobile and internet services brand in Europe. In addition, Orange Business Services, which operates in 220 countries or territories, became the new banner for business communications solutions and services. France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris Eurolist market and on the New York Stock Exchange. At December 31, 2006, the group had 97.6 million mobile customers, 12.3 million internet customers and 48.7 million fixed line customers. In 2006, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 51.7 billion euros. Further information about Orange and France Telecom can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.com or the France Telecom at www.francetelecom.com. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited. About Telecom Italia The Group supplies about 24 million fixed-network lines and 6.8 million broadband connections in Italy. TIM brand mobile telephony unit supplies over 32 million lines in Italy (4.2 million UMTS). Telecom Italia’s international reach is based on broadband and mobile telephony. Mobile operations outside Italy are concentrated in Brazil where TIM supplies more than 25.4 million mobile lines. Outside Italy, the Group has a broadband portfolio of 1.9 million customers, mainly in France and Germany. For further information please visit: www.telecomitalia.it & www.tim.it. About T-Mobile International About TeliaSonera |
