Bouygues Telecom selects Acme Packet for IMS network (France, USA)
Acme Packet, the leader in session delivery networks, announced that Bouygues Telecom, a leading fixed and mobile service provider in France, is deploying Acme Packet Net-Net Session Director session border controllers (SBCs) in its IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, supplied and integrated by Alcatel-Lucent. Acme Packet’s SBCs fulfill numerous IMS functions at both the access and interconnect borders, ensuring security, interoperability, and quality in the network.
Bouygues Telecom is deploying IMS to support multiple services, including migration of existing residential voice to voice over IP (VoIP), interconnecting with other service providers and launching new services, such as visual voice mail.
The Net-Net Session Director fulfills critical IMS functional requirements at the access and interconnect borders of Bouygues Telecom’s network. In the access network, SBCs provide the critical Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) and IMS-Access Gateway Function (AGW) for securing, interoperating, and controlling all SIP-based services to subscribers. The Net-Net Session Director provides Interconnect Border Control Function (I-BCF) and the Transition Gateway (TrGW) for controlling fixed and mobile SIP traffic at interconnect borders, encompassing both internal interconnection between Bouygues’ fixed and mobile networks as well as between the IMS network and other service providers.
Bouygues Telecom is using Acme Packet’s interoperability feature set that includes SIP normalization and SIP to SIP-I interworking that helps accelerate time-to-market and reduce operational costs as the network expands. Net-SAFE®, Acme Packet’s security framework, provides denial of service (DoS) attack prevention, topology hiding, and access control to protect Bouygues Telecom’s IMS network and ensure service availability. Other key features include accounting for billing and traffic planning, as well as admission control, routing, and quality of service marking for service level agreement assurance.
Jean-Paul Arzel, Bouygues Telecom networks director, said that Acme Packet’s SBC is a key part of their IMS network, built to enable innovative services and deliver enhanced customer experience to their fixed and mobile customers. They chose the Acme Packet solution due to their culture of innovation, the rich functionality and scalability of its session border controllers, and the company’s impressive track record in enabling trusted, high-quality VoIP, and IP interactive communication services.
Mario Oliveira, Acme Packet’s vice president of Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and Caribbean and Latin America sales, said that Acme Packet brings extensive experience in helping their customers build next generation communications networks. Their IMS solution portfolio delivers the security, interoperability, and quality functionalities that Bouygues Telecom and leading service providers demand to be successful in their migration to end-to-end IP communications.
Vivendi appoints Michel Combes as Chairman and CEO of SFR (France)
Vivendi has appointed Michel Combes as Chairman and CEO of SFR and a member of the Vivendi Management Board. According to reports, Michel Combes is currently Chief Executive Officer of Vodafone Europe and a Board member of Vodafone PLC.
Jean-Bernard Lévy, Chairman of the Vivendi Management Board, said that they are very happy that Michel Combes has agreed to come on board to run SFR. His international management experience and his extensive knowledge of the telecoms sector will prove most valuable to lead the company in the challenges it faces. They have total confidence in his ability to mobilize the SFR teams and to build with them a successful future for the company.
Michel Combes said that he is very happy to be joining Vivendi and SFR. He has known the Group for many years and he is fully aware of both its potential and the quality of its teams, while recognizing the challenges ahead.
Jean-Bernard Lévy will continue as Chairman and CEO of SFR until the 1st August, the scheduled date for Michel Combes’ arrival.
Orange partners with CANAL+ AFRIQUE for mobile payment services (France, Africa)
CANAL+ AFRIQUE and Orange have signed a partnership offering CANAL+/CANALSAT subscribers in Africa a convenient way to pay their subscription fees with their mobiles, using Orange’s mobile payment service.
CANAL+/CANALSAT subscription fee payment using Orange Money will be launched in Madagascar in June 2012, so all Malagasy subscribers who are both CANAL+/CANALSAT and Orange customers with an Orange Money account will be able to pay their subscription fees easily and directly from their mobiles, and enjoy great flexibility and instant delivery of their favourite TV programmes.
Orange Money is the mobile phone payment service designed by Orange to meet the needs of its customers in Africa and the Middle East. It provides Orange subscribers with functions such as money transfers from mobile to mobile, bills payment, withdrawal services and cash deposits with networks of registered agents, as well as paying for goods and services with certain businesses.
Orange Money is making life easier for a large number of people in Africa where 60 percent of the population has a mobile phone but less than 10% has a bank account. It has been launched in nine countries so far: Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Madagascar, Mauritius, Niger and Senegal, and has already reached over 3.5 million customers.
CANAL+ AFRIQUE, present in more than 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, provides its subscribers with a variety of TV channels packages, which can either be prepaid or paid through direct debit. The majority of users opt for the prepaid formula which helps them control their spending, but which means they have to go to a retailer to renew their subscription. Orange Money will provide added comfort and flexibility for these customers by providing a way for them to pay their bills anytime, anywhere, with almost instantaneous service activation.
In addition to Madagascar, by the end of 2012, this mobile payment service will be offered to CANAL+/CANALSAT subscribers in various African countries where the Orange money service is already available.
Guy Lafarge, President of CANAL+ OVERSEAS, said that they are very pleased with this partnership with Orange on mobile payment. With Orange Money, they will provide their subscribers with an innovative and simple means of payment which is both quick and secure.
Marc Rennard, Executive Director responsible for Africa, Middle East and Asia, said that this agreement with CANAL+ AFRIQUE, a major player in the world of digital content, is another example of their resolve to continually broaden the range of Orange Money services to make life easier for customers. Further, thanks to the different partnerships based around Orange Money, they wish to improve the lives of their customers by providing them with a quick and simple means of accessing all services, on a day to day basis.
France Telecom agrees to Mobinil’s buyout terms (France, Egypt)
Mobile operator France Telecom has finalized the agreement terms to buyout shares in Mobinil, an Egypt based telecom company, from its local partner OTMT.
According to reports, the companies said in a statement that the agreement means France Telecom will now launch a tender offer to acquire 100 percent of Mobinil’s capital at a price of $ 33.5 per share, subject to regulatory approval.
The statement added that OTMT is expected to receive aggregate proceeds of $994 million for its direct and indirect ECMS stake tendered.
As per reports, France Telecom would control a 95 percent stake in Mobinil post this agreement. The move comes as an attempt by France Telecom to enhance its presence in emerging markets.
Orange Business Services inks 5 year deal with JTI (France, Japan)
Orange Business Services has signed a five-year outsourcing contract with JTI (Japan Tobacco International), the international business of Japan Tobacco Inc., worth over $100 million. Orange Business Services helps JTI with managed services such as LAN, data and voice traffic, security and call centers among others.
As per reports, Diego De Coen, JTI CIO, said that their 17-year relationship with Orange Business Services is built on trust and mutual success. Such a long-term relationship is nearly unheard of these days and this contract renewal was not a given. Instead, Orange Business Services proved again that its competitive strength, unmatched global reach and comprehensive portfolio made it the best choice for JTI as they continue to evolve their global telecom infrastructure and services.
Helmut Reisinger, Senior Vice President Europe, Orange Business Services, said that over the years, they have developed a very strong partnership with JTI. They are grateful and proud that they have been entrusted with this contract for another five years. This is certainly mainly due to the quality of services they have been providing to JTI, even during the days of 2011 turbulences in times of the Japan earthquake or the ‘Egyptian spring’ where their business continuity plans proved to be beneficial to a lot of multinationals such as JTI. Building on the success, they look forward to collaborating with JTI on innovative solutions over the next several years.
Orange announces the launch of Ultra-broadband for Mobile (France)
Orange has obtained a combination of 4G frequencies (at 2.6 GHz and 800 MHz) for Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology that will enable it to meet the increased demand for data mobile on mobile networks. Ultra-broadband technologies allow Orange to offer its customers speeds of up to 150 megabits/s on compatible mobile terminals.
Stéphane Richard, CEO of Orange, has said that Orange mobile ultra-broadband is obviously 4G, but it’s also currently the very latest evolution of 3G, H+, which delivers speeds of up to 42 megabits/s, meaning 3 times quicker than what they were able to offer until now and a real springboard to 4G.
More than 50 per cent of the population has been covered by this new technology since 24 November 2011, including 40 major urban centres such as Paris, Chambéry, Clermont Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice, Saint-Etienne, Toulon, Marseille, Montpellier and Perpignan. By end 2012, this coverage will gradually be enlarged to reach 60 % of the population with the addition of cities such as Bordeaux, Nancy, Metz, Strasbourg, Toulouse and Angoulême . The technology, until now available only to business companies, is now accessible to the public.
Marseille will be the first Orange 4G pilot city. After the experimental deployment of 4G in a number of areas of the city, other cities will follow. Orange will be deploying its H+ technology and testing its 4G network in Marseille and the surrounding region with Alcatel-Lucent, a benchmark partner, which has already successfully deployed 4G in the USA.
Orange proposes new H+ offers designed to make the most of ultra-broadband for mobile in Mainland France
A new Let’s go 5Gb H+ package will allow, within areas with H+ coverage and using a compatible terminal, access to the best of the Orange network with speeds of up to 42 megabits/s. This package also includes up to 70 live TV channels and 5 Gb of data (speed speeds over that figure), or up to 300 hours per month of browsing or 65 hours per month of video streaming. The package is available from US$ 78 per month with a 24 month contract for Orange mobile subscribers.
Orange to offer new iPad on March 16 (France)
Orange today announced that it will offer the new iPad in France on Friday, March 16.
The third generation iPad is a category defining mobile device that features a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics and a 5 megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. It also still delivers the same all-day 10 hour battery life while remaining amazingly thin and light.
Delphine Ernotte Cunci, executive director, Orange France, said that Orange offers iPad customers the largest mobile network in mainland France. With the most extensive and best mobile broadband coverage in France, Orange customers will be able to make full use of the amazing capabilities of the new iPad on the move.
Customers can buy the new iPad at orange.fr and in selected Orange retail stores beginning Friday, March 16.
Orange launches several initiatives for cost-effective roaming experience (France, Spain)
Mobile operator Orange has announced a series of new roaming initiatives aimed at delivering a simpler, more transparent and cost-effective roaming experience for customers. The initiatives include a new combined voice, SMS and mobile data roaming offer, a new roaming app and a roaming cap and text alert when roaming outside the EU. These initiatives are underpinned by a new Orange Travel ‘Customer Experience Charter’, laying down its commitment to customers to deliver transparency, responsive customer support and reliable networks when roaming. The initiatives will cover Orange’s key European markets and will be implemented throughout 2012.
Orange’s latest ‘combined’ roaming bundle sees a new type of offer in the market, incorporating voice, SMS and data into one affordable and easy to understand tariff. The offers will be available on a daily, weekly or even 30-day basis, tailored to each market. The offers, available in Spain, Belgium and Romania will be extended to other markets in 2012 including France, the UK and Poland. For example, in France customers will be able to purchase a bundle that includes 10 minutes of voice, 10 SMS’s and 10 MB for approximately US$ 5 to US$ 7 daily, from June onwards.
The launch of a new roaming app, the Orange Travel App, will help customers track their data usage when travelling abroad more easily than ever before. Downloadable from the Orange App shop or Android Market, customers will be able to easily monitor, in real-time, their data and SMS roaming traffic. Customers will be able to check how many megabytes and SMS’s they have sent and received in total, per country and per trip. Customers can then compare this, seamlessly, within the app, to their local tariff plans to ensure that they are within their limits. The app, already well-received in France with over 15,000 downloads since June, will be extended to a further six of Orange’s European markets in 2012, including the UK, Spain, Poland, Belgium, Romania and Slovakia.
Orange is also introducing a ‘rest of world’ alert and cap for data usage to protect customers from receiving unexpected bills when travelling outside of the EU. The level of the alert and cap will be set for each market. As customers approach their limit, they will be sent an alert by SMS. Customers can then choose via SMS to purchase an additional bundle or be cut off when they hit their limit. The ‘rest of world’ alert and cap will be available across eight of Orange’s European markets eventually. It is available in Poland, Belgium and France today, and will be introduced in the UK, Spain, Romania and Slovakia in 2012.
Vincent Brunet, Executive Vice President, Consumer Mobile Services, commented that the launch of today’s initiatives are testimony to their continued commitment to deliver a great roaming experience that is open to all. With more and more customers choosing smartphones and tablets, they are cognisant of both the opportunities and risks that such devices deliver in a roaming context. By putting in further safety nets, they are helping customers to manage their consumption while they continue to introduce competitive offers that respond to their customers’ growing needs. Further, they are confident that customers can roam freely without concern to reap all the benefits that the smartphone and tablet revolution provides.
The Orange Travel ‘Customer Experience Charter’ will serve as a set of guiding principles that each of Orange’s European markets will use in the execution of their roaming services, whether that be the delivery of a new roaming tariff or a communication campaign. The principles extend to ensuring transparency at all times, as well as delivering responsive customer support and guaranteeing reliable networks when roaming.
The new initiatives are part of the Orange Travel portfolio of roaming services, providing a broad range of attractive roaming offers to respond to the varying needs of customers from consumer customers to big business. Orange’s segmented approach ensures that customers get the best solution for their needs. Orange has over 25 million Orange Travel customers at the end of 2011, adding over one million new customers in 2011.
