The Information Technology 100
45
France Telecom
The former French telecom monopoly may have pulled itself back from the The former French telecom monopoly may have pulled itself back from the brink, but it still faces stiff competition in the wireless market from rivals SFR and Bouygues, as well as in the fixed-line sector from the likes of Tele2 and Free. The company also took a knock when white knight CEO Thierry Breton left earlier this year to run the French finance ministry.
But by re-absorbing three subsidiaries -- mobile unit Orange, Internet provider Wanadoo, and data-services giant Equant -- France Télécom has been able to wring out new synergies. That helped drive sales up 4.1% to $57.9 billion in 2004. Voice-over-Internet Protocol could start to take a bite of fixed-line revenues in the next few years. But France Télécom is looking for new growth avenues, including an ambitious TV-via-DSL service it launched last year.
Company Info
| STOCK INFO | FTE |
| Revenues* | $58.7 BILLION |
| Revenue Growth | 2.2% |
| Return on Equity | 17.8% |
| Total Return | 16.7% |
| Profits* | $3.5 BILLION |
| Industry | TELECOM SERVICES |
| CORPORATE WEB SITE | |
All figures are for the most recent available 12 months.
* Latest available data for the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, Jan. 31, Feb. 29, Mar. 31, or Apr. 30. For companies that do not report quarterly, the most recent annual data were used.
Data provided by Standard & Poor's Compustat, BusinessWeek
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Company Snapshot
France Telecom, through its subsidiaries, offers telecommunications services worldwide. The company operates in five segments: Orange, Wanadoo, Fixed Line, Distribution, Networks, Large Customers, and Operators (FDLO); Equant; and TP Group. The Orange segment provides wireless communications services, including voice and data communications services, primarily in Europe. The Wanadoo segment offers multimedia and Internet services. The FDLO segment provides fixed line telephony services, payphone and card services, cable television, data transfer services, network services, and radio broadcasting services. The Equant segment offers Internet protocol, data, network outsourcing, and application development services for multinational businesses. The TP Group segment provides fixed line telephony, line leasing, radio communications, and Internet services in Poland. As of December 31, 2003, the company provided its services to approximately 117.1 million customers. France Telecom was formerly a part of the French Telecommunications Ministry and was formed as a legally distinct public sector operator in 1991. The company is based in Paris.
No. of Employees
NA
Data provided by 
Didier Lombard
Bio
Didier Lombard has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer France Telecom since February 2005. Mr. Lombard began his career in the Research and Development division of France Telecom in 1967. from 1991 to 1998, he served as General Director for industrial strategies at the French Ministry of Economy, Finances and Industry and was then appointed general manager of industrial strategy at the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry. Mr. Lombard is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and the Ecole Nationale Suprieure des Telcommunications.