Yesterday, French telecom operator France Telecom SA said that it is now set to officially change its name to the popular brand name ‘Orange’, effective July 1, 2013. The move was nearly unanimously approved by the company’s shareholders at its annual general meeting in Paris on Tuesday.
The change in name was formally approved at the AGM, with more than 99 percent of the voting shareholders approving the change. The change will also include the company’s stock exchange ticker symbol that will now be ‘ORA.’
“Under the Orange name, the Group will build on its heritage and continue to ensure stronger social cohesion, improved technical performance and faster growth in France and around the world,” the company said in a statement.
Orange has been used for France Telecom as the brand name for its consumer and business services since 2006. It had acquired U.K. mobile operator Orange plc in 2000, and the name Orange came from its U.K. mobile business.
France Telecom was originally a French government department. It became a separate business in 1990 and was later privatized.
The change in name come at a time when the company is striving to gradually simplify its visual identity in France and internationally for its various internal and external stakeholders.
The company noted that changing the name of the company and its shares is a natural step in the process towards the simplification and unity of the Group’s activities.
Orange is now the brand used by all of the Group’s commercial operations (fixed, mobile, TV and Internet) and corporate activities.
France Telecom-Orange currently has 170,000 employees worldwide, including 104,000 in France. The company has a total customer base of about 230 million customers, including 172 million mobile customers and 15 million broadband INTERNET (ADSL, fibre) customers worldwide. It generated sales of 43.5 billion euros in 2012.
