develop new services and accentuated the differentiation

The Group is rolling out an active partnering policy to forge a competitive advantage and integrate new technologies. Strategic partnerships are founded on four priorities:

•    technologies in networks and support information systems
•    handset equipment
•    content
•    distribution channels


In this way, unik represents the result of a partnership with Ericsson, Business Together with Nortel, and Orange Messenger by Windows Live with Microsoft.
R&D is also forging successful partnerships in Asia, with for example Fujitsu, Hitachi and Huawei.

In order to give its customers the best of innovation, R&D conducts an active partnership policy and works with the best specialists in technologies, devices and software, and content.
Its goal is to develop (or co-develop) products, protocols and services.
These joint projects will cover a wide variety of areas.

some examples:
Ericsson (IP-based consumer multimedia service), Siemens (new-generation network architecture to facilitate fixed/mobile interoperability), Nortel (IP-based multimedia services for the business market), Thomson (new multimedia applications), Motorola ("Seamless Mobility" solutions), Nokia (new rich-media solutions).

France Telecom's R&D is also developing partnerships with Orange customers. The goal is to identify new business opportunities together and capitalise on them. For example Essilor, with whom we developed and marketed "communicating glasses" in 2005.

agreements with telecoms operators
•    China Telecom: a strategic partnership involving research and development into various types of technology and applications, purchasing, network and information system management and training and the exchange of personnel. Moreover, the two operators are setting up a joint research and development centre in China.
•    Deutsche Telekom: memorandum of understanding in the domain of innovation and R&D