Orange Business Services to unveil Middle East projects at GITEX/GULFCOMMS 2007

These solutions are being successfully deployed across the Middle East region in a range of new projects.

Working with technology partners, Orange Business Services is delivering new projects, both with incumbent telecoms operators and new providers, especially real estate developers, who are increasingly offering leading-edge telecoms and communications services for businesses and consumers in their new developments, based on increasing broadband availability.

Solutions for Operators allow telecom operators to become customer-centric and to develop an integrated portfolio of fixed and mobile services, based on IP transformation. For existing operators, this helps to avoid years of complex business and infrastructure transformation.

For new entrants into the telecoms world, such as real estate developers, Solutions for Operators delivers next generation networks, featuring broadband, enterprise IP services, mobility services, fixed and mobile integration, WiFi hotspots, machine-to-machine and telematics, bringing new revenue streams which were previously out of reach.

Solutions for Operators forms part of Orange Business Services portfolio of next generation integrated communications services - the broadest portfolio in the industry - all of which support IP transformation for existing and new telecoms operators.

The success of these services in the Middle East, where Orange Business Services is growing revenues strongly, reflects the dynamic nature of the regional market, where deregulation of the telecoms sector and strong economic development - especially in the real estate sector - is creating new market opportunities. The Middle East continues to grow in importance for Orange Business Services, led by the UAE where it has more than 200 of its 500 Middle East-based multinational customers.

"Established telecoms operators and service providers are now operating in a new and increasingly competitive regional environment," says Lionel Reina, Vice President, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa, Orange Business Services.

"New competition includes real estate developers, who are increasingly willing and able to become local, campus and regional operators, as broadband development grows rapidly in the MENA region, offering attractive business opportunities."

"For the Middle East real estate operator, the benefits of the Solutions for Operators program are the international expertise and experience of Orange Business Services, plus the substantial research and technology resources we can bring through the France Telecom connection, allowing the customer to stay focused on its core business," he continues.

An example of Solutions for Operators in action is Solidere in Beirut, where Orange Business Services has designed a project to deliver a state-of-the-art IP-based Metropolitan Area Network: "This new network is already offering world-class, leading-edge communications and multi-media solutions for the residents of Beirut's Central District. We are already working on the expansion of this approach across the Middle East, from Morocco to the Gulf, and will be presenting our new projects at Gulfcoms 2007," concludes Mr. Reina.