Businessweek

France Telecom S.A. provides consumers, businesses, and other telecommunications operators with a range of services, including fixed telephony and mobile telecommunications, data transmission, Internet and multimedia, and other value-added services. Segments The company operates through six segments, including France, Poland, Spain, Rest of the World, Enterprise, and International Carrier and Shared Services (IC & SS). FRANCE Fixed Telephony and Internet Activities The company’s range of services in the home segment in France is made up of traditional fixed-line telephony services; other consumer services; online, Internet access, and multimedia services; advertising-management and Internet portal business; content-related business; and carrier services. Traditional Fixed-Line Telephony Services and Other Consumer Services: The company’s traditional fixed-line telephony services provide access to the network, local, and long-distance telephone communication services throughout France, and international calls. In addition, it offers its fixed-line telephony subscribers a range of value-added services. Online Internet Access and Multimedia Services: As of December 2011, the total number of Internet customers was 9.8 million. The company offers a range of laptop computers available with an optional broadband subscription or the Internet Everywhere package. For business customers, the company introduced a new offer, ‘Fibre pro’. The company offers unlimited calling to fixed-lines in continental France and to approximately 100 destinations, unlimited calling to mobile phones, VOD catalogs and a TV recorder. Internet Portals and Advertising Management Business: The company has various portals, including Orange.fr with approximately 21.4 million visitors; Voila.fr (8.3 million visitors in 2011), and Cityvox (entertainment and leisure listing site in France) in its various formats, such as Cityvox.fr, Cinefil.com, Spectacles.fr, Concert.fr, and WebCity.fr; and in the mobile market, the company has 10.2 million visitors. Content-Related Activities: The development of the company’s range of content services on various networks (fixed-line, mobile, and Internet), in France and internationally, relies on partnership agreements or equity investments, as well as on rights acquisition relating to cinema, music, games, sports, and information. The company works to offer the content as a result of various partnerships, such as those signed with Arte, France Televisions, Warner, and Sony. To deliver its content services, the company has implemented a set of service platforms that include technical protection measures, as well as tools for digital rights management, which ensure the integrity of the works and compensation for the copyright holders. It also participates in content security through its subsidiary, Viaccess group. Carrier Services: Carrier services include interconnection services for competing operators, and unbundling and wholesale market services. Mobile Telephony Activities Mobile Offers The company provides subscription and prepaid offers, with or without a handset. Subscription Offers: The line of subscription offers is geared toward unlimited contracts and the inclusion of multimedia uses (Internet, television, and messaging). It is structured around smart offers and M6 mobile offers, primarily targeted at young customers with all-inclusive contracts, which could be capped or uncapped, allowing for control of consumption while including unlimited SMS (short message service), MMS (multimedia message service) (avantage ZAP) to various operators; and Origami uncapped contract offers, which respond to the growth in smartphone sales and multimedia usage, as well as the demand from customers for unlimited voice and SMS deals. Prepaid Offers: The company provides two prepaid options, with calls charged by the second from the first second, or an entry-level offer marketed under the Sosh brand. The Mobicarte includes a range of top ups from 5 to 100 euros, and allows customers to receive free credit and rewards in the form of calls, SMS or access to social networks. In 2011, the compa