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France Telecom and Ericsson to Form Strategic Partnership in Order to Jointly Develop IP Multimedia Services for the Consumer Market

Posted on: Thursday, 12 February 2004, 06:00 CST

France Telecom and Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERICY) announced today the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), in order to jointly develop IP Multimedia Services for the consumer market. This strategic agreement focuses on developing new services that will enhance consumer experiences and reachability, and leverage on both fixed and mobile network services.

¶ The Memorandum of Understanding includes:

¶ -- the establishment of joint research and development teams,

¶ -- the sharing of R&D funding,

¶ -- and the principle of sharing intellectual property resulting

from the partnership.

¶ For France Telecom, this partnership fits into its strategy to develop new and innovative integrated services for its customers independent of the access network they are using. It also marks the commitment taken by France Telecom to join forces with industry leaders in order to leverage resources and expertise and offer the best services to its end customers. ¶ This partnership further recognizes Ericsson's ability to positively contribute to the development of value-added IP Multimedia Services for the benefit of consumers by leveraging on its understanding of consumer trends, in-depth market knowledge and unique R&D capabilities. ¶ Both companies are convinced of the need to develop new types of relationships between telecommunications operators and equipment vendors in order to cope with the challenges of increasing competition and the convergence of the telecom, IT and multimedia industries.

¶ Ericsson is shaping the future of Mobile and Broadband Internet communications through its continuous technology leadership. Providing innovative solutions in more than 140 countries, Ericsson is helping to create the most powerful communication companies in the world. ¶ Read more at http://www.ericsson.com/press.

¶ About France Telecom

¶ France Telecom is one of the world's leading telecommunications carriers, with 114,9 million customers on the five continents (220 countries and territories) and consolidated operating revenues of 46,6 billion euro for 2002 (34,5 billion euro at September 30th, 2003). Through its major international brands, including Orange, Wanadoo, Equant and GlobeCast, France Telecom provides businesses, consumers and other carriers with a complete portfolio of solutions that spans local, long-distance and international telephony, wireless, Internet, multimedia, data, broadcast and cable TV services. France Telecom is the second-largest wireless operator and Internet access provider in Europe, and a world leader in telecommunications solutions for multinational corporations. France Telecom (NYSE: FTE) is listed on the Paris and New York stock exchanges.

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