France Telecom-Orange dropped the first part of its name on 1 July. The Orange brand, bought from UK operator Hutchison Telecom in 2000, has progressively become synonymous with France Telecom. The operator continued to use its former name as the brand of its wholesale service and, until February last year, for its PSTN retail service. The change reflects the group's international dimension, as the name France Telecom is considered less well adapted to international markets. The group's stocks are now listed as ORA instead of FTE.
As of today, all of the group's products and services in France and in over 30 countries will be sold under the Orange brand name, and all of the group's commercial, internal and corporate communication is grouped under this single brand identity. The group is running a TV campaign in France until 20 July using an artistic, inter-generational ad intended to be used in all of its markets, including Europe, Africa and Middle East.
