Orange Joins LiMo Foundation to Mobilise Linux Industry

London (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Operator Announces the Samsung i800, the First Open Linux
Handset From Orange

Orange today announced its entrance to the LiMo Foundation, a
landmark move that marks a new era for mobile Linux, fostering
unprecedented industry collaboration and a new future of exciting
mobile services for customers. A leader in mobile open source
development, Orange is underlining this significant move with the
launch of the Samsung i800, the fully open, Linux-powered handset,
which will be available to customers later this year.

"Orange was one of the first mobile operators to make significant
strides in open source innovation," says Yves Maitre, senior vice
president, devices, Orange. "Together with our LiMo Foundation
membership, today's launch of the Samsung i800 shows that we are
truly delivering on our commitment to mobilising Linux technology."

In recognition of the company's pioneering role in mobile Linux
innovation, Orange has been invited to join the LiMo Foundation as a
Founder Member; an honour reserved for very few new entrants. In this
governing role, Orange will bring a wealth of mobile Linux experience
to the organisation, alongside companies such as Motorola, NTT DoCoMo
and Samsung, which share the common goal of accelerating the delivery
of the first truly open, Linux-based operating system for mobile
devices.

Yves Maitre says, "Our vision is for a truly open mobile
community which delivers richer mobile services, more affordable
devices and a better experience for our customers. We have already
achieved part of this vision through the foundation of the LiPS
Forum. Today, we are taking great strides forward, firstly by joining
LiMo as a Founder member and unifying the mobile Linux industry and
secondly, collaborating with Samsung and ACCESS to provide our
customers with the first fully open Linux-powered device from
Orange," he adds.

ChulHwan Lee, Senior Vice President of Mobile Device Division,
Samsung Electronics, says, "At Samsung, it is our highest priority to
understand our consumers' needs and to cater for these needs through
continuous innovation. We also believe that collaboration within the
industries for open mobile Linux will enable us to achieve these
goals faster." ChulHwan adds, "We are pleased that we share this
vision with Orange to deliver this Linux-powered handset to market."

Toru Arakawa, CEO, president and co-founder of ACCESS says,
"ACCESS has a longstanding dedication to mobile Linux innovation and
we are thrilled to offer the first handset to be powered by ACCESS
Linux Platform together with Orange and Samsung. Toru concludes,
"Being the first to deliver a Linux-powered platform for the Samsung
i800 illustrates our commitment and vision to the best mobile Linux
innovations for the best end-user experience."

Yves Maitre says, "The key benefit of Linux technology is
openness - the openness for partners and developers to launch more
exciting products and applications than ever before." Yves concludes,
"To deliver the kind of services our customers want, both now and in
the future, we believe it is essential that operators, vendors and
developers work together closely to establish a consistent, fully
open Linux environment that positively encourages new ideas and
reduces fragmentation."

About Orange

Orange is the key brand of France Telecom, one of the world's
leading telecommunications operators. France Telecom serves more than
170 million customers in five continents as of December 31, 2007, of
which two thirds are Orange customers. The Group had consolidated
sales of 52.9 billion euros in 2007. As of December 31, 2007, the
Group had 109.6 million mobile customers and 11.6 million broadband
internet (ADSL) customers.

Launched in June 2005, the NExT program (New Experience in
Telecommunications) will enable the Group to pursue its
transformation as an integrated operator and make France Telecom the
benchmark for new telecommunications services in Europe. In 2006,
Orange became the Group's single brand for Internet, television and
mobile services in the majority of countries where the company
operates, and Orange Business Services the banner for services
offered to businesses worldwide. France Telecom is the number three
mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband internet
services in Europe and one of the world leaders in providing
telecommunication services to multinational companies.

France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris and on the
New York Stock Exchange.

For more information: http://www.orange.com,
http://www.francetelecom.com, http://www.orange-business.com

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in
this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications
Services Limited.

ots Originaltext: Orange
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

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For press information, please contact: Carolyn Owen,
+44-7891-641-008, carolyn.owen@orange-ftgroup.com; Georgina Hart,
+44-7730-989-693, georgina.hart@orange-ftgroup.com; Tom Jennings,
+44-20-7344-1512, tom.jennings@edelman.com