corporate social responsibility complete report France ... - Orange

connecting African countries
Our Group supports several submarine
cable construction projects designed to
increase Internet connection capacity and
quality in African countries.
Installed on November 16, 2009, the LION
cable links Madagascar, Reunion Island and
Mauritius using 1,000 km of fibre optics. The
LION cable was laid by Chamarel, one of
France Telecom’s cable-laying ships. LION
will enable improved access to the Internet,
a decisive factor for the socioeconomic
development of this region.
Regional cooperation in the Indian Ocean
will be further strengthened by plans to
extend the LION cable to Mombasa (Kenya),
where several opportunities for interconnection
with other undersea cables exist. To find
out more, check the mini-site dedicated to
the LION cable http://lion.orange.com/
default/EN/all/lion.
Another project supported by the Group, the
EASSY (Eastern Africa Submarine System)
cable, will give around 10 East African countries
access to the Internet by late 2010, as
well as offering regional connectivity. Three
Group companies are stakeholders in the
project (France Telecom SA, Telkom Kenya
and Mauritius Telecom).
We also contribute to the deployment of
undersea cables on Africa’s Atlantic coast.
By the end of 2011, the ACE (African Coast
to Europe) cable will link South Africa to
France, allowing as many people as possible
from the west coast of Africa to have access
to the worldwide broadband network.
distributing our services
in a different way
In addition to network coverage, we have
to provide users in isolated areas with the
services they need to support their applications.
This is why we are developing indirect distribution
solutions, such as the Botika
network in Madagascar or the Orange
franchise stores in Mali, which provide
outreach services in isolated areas while
creating local jobs.
We are also implementing original distribution
solutions, such as mobile units which
provide information about Internet technologies
and mobile communications in
regions where there are no points of sale.
After Egypt, Romania and Spain, Orange
Madagascar has in turn embarked on a
tour of the island in 2009.
Joseph-François Kergueris
Senator and President of Morbihan county council
“In Morbihan, 4,600 households do not have access to ADSL and 20,000 have access to it under unsatisfactory conditions.
These households only account for a small portion of the 360,000 lines in the region; there are not many of them, which is all
the more reason to take an interest, as broadband is an increasingly universal service. Everyone needs it at home, work, and
in life. Going forward, it also promotes economic development throughout the region.
So we must continue to respond to needs accordingly, enabling people and companies to look to the future. But such is the
change in Internet usage that only a public-private partnership can deliver a solution under the right economic and technical
conditions and within a short timeframe. By entering into a public-private partnership to guarantee broadband for sparsely
populated areas and a fast return on investment, the council is fulfilling its regional development mandate.”