Cisco and Orange Business Services Deliver Managed Unified Communications and Collaboration Solutions to Latin American Companies

Flexible offers with unified communications, IP telephony and TelePresence services boost productivity and reduce operational costs

SÃO PAULO, Brazil - Orange Business Services, a leading global communications solutions integrator, is working together with Cisco to offer managed unified communications and collaboration services to companies in Latin America.

Both Cisco and Orange seek to help enterprises overcome the barriers of adopting information technology business solutions. Managed services are one of the most effective methods for companies to reduce capital investment costs while gaining access to innovative network technologies to improve business processes.

Orange currently supports enterprise customers in the region with three managed services for Cisco Collaboration solutions: Cisco Unified Communications, based on Cisco Unified IP telephony solutions, including a managed LAN service; a managed end-to-end Cisco TelePresence offer; and a Web collaboration service via Cisco WebEx. Orange is also a global leader in providing standards-based ITIL service management.

Orange Enterprise Telephony offers companies a scalable, distributed, enterprise-class IP telephony system that simplifies voice systems, and it provides advanced capabilities, such as mobility, presence and rich conferencing services as well. Orange consultants can help assess customer requirements, design and implement a solution, and provide operational support in a flexible model.

Orange also offers a Cisco Certified TelePresence Connection with Orange Telepresence Connect to provide a lifelike meeting experience for users in remote locations, thereby saving time and travel expenses. With the greatest coverage in the market, Orange Telepresence Connect spans 44 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

Orange’s high-quality audio and Web conferencing service, based on Cisco WebEx, gives companies a shared workspace when collaboration needs to go beyond talk. Participants join a meeting with a one-click entry from an e-mail invitation. They easily see participants who join by Web or phone, along with who is speaking. The service allows customers to reduce travel costs and increase staff efficiency.

“With Orange managed solutions, customers have predictable monthly costs and a lower total cost of ownership,” said Javier Semerene, vice president, Sales and Marketing, Orange Business Services, Latin America. “Another advantage is the flexibility of the offers, which can be molded by the client using the ITIL operational support framework. An outstanding customer experience is one of our key priorities, and we are committed to delivering the best level of quality and service to our pan-regional and global customers throughout Latin America.”

Michel Abranches, head of Managed Services, Cisco Brazil, added: “The Orange offer for managed services with Cisco Unified Communication solutions helps companies use advanced communication and collaboration resources without significantly increasing their procurement costs. In addition, new IP telephony applications, telepresence and collaboration tools are capable of generating quick productivity gains and faster decision making while also reducing costs with employee transportation.”
About Orange

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 124.5 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates. At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (25.5 billion euros for the first half of 2009) and at June 30, 2009, the Group had a customer base of 186 million customers in 32 countries. These include 125.5 million mobile customers and 13.4 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

The Group’s strategy, which is characterized by a strong focus on innovation, convergence and effective cost management, aims to establish Orange as an integrated operator and benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. Today the Group remains focused on its core activities as a network operator, while working to develop its position in new growth activities. To meet customer expectations, the Group strives to provide products and services that are simple and user-friendly, while maintaining a sustainable and responsible business model that can be adapted to the requirements of a fast-paced and changing eco-system.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information: www.orange.com, www.francetelecom.com, www.orange-business.com.
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Cisco, Cisco Systems, and the Cisco Systems logo are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.