Orange Business Services and Solidere, the Lebanese company for the development and reconstruction of the Beirut Central District, have renewed and enhanced a five-year telecoms infrastructure contract.

Both companies showcased the network and associated applications to the corporate, business and residential customers in the district during an exhibition held from February 17-19 at the Beirut Souks.

For the past five years, Solidere has been delivering an on-demand IPTV channel service in its flagship development in Beirut, offering a range of movies, sports and TV programs that stream directly to residents’ TVs over the market-leading, broadband network, which Orange designed, built, and operates on behalf of Solidere.

Mounir Douaidy, General Manager, Solidere, said: “Thanks to Solidere’s state-of-the-art infrastructure and the knowledge and expertise of Orange Business Services, we continue offering next-generation telecommunications services in Beirut Central District as part of our high profile real estate developments, meaning our customers enjoy the best and the most advanced IP-based, on-demand telecoms services in the world.”

The renewed contract includes a new Orange call center management solution for Solidere that will enable the delivery of superior customer service with fewer resources. Orange is providing Solidere a flexible solution that virtualizes the contact center infrastructure and brings features that serves their customers better, including achieving shorter call waiting times and much less call abandonment.

“For customers like Solidere, Orange Business Services offers a unique combination of technological and operational expertise combined with proven experience in Smart City development,” said Jean-Luc Lasnier, Sales and Marketing Vice President – Emerging Markets & Indirect, Orange Business Services. “With local knowledge and international capabilities, Orange Business Service brings together a world-class IP network and innovative solutions needed to create state-of-the-art Smart City infrastructure and ICT services, including home automation, unified communications, video services (such as on-demand, IPTV and conferencing), and M2M solutions for remote monitoring and smart metering in the areas of eHealth and eGovernment, among others.“

At its launch in 2008, the IPTV service was one of the first of its kind available on a commercial basis in the Middle East, and the network was the first to support broadcast and on-demand HDTV. At the time, the new service was integrated into a Solidere-operated private broadband network that had been designed and installed by Orange in 2006.

About Orange Business Services

Orange Business Services, the France Telecom-Orange branch dedicated to B2B services, is a leading global integrator of communications solutions for multinational corporations. With the world's largest, seamless network for voice and data, Orange Business Services reaches 220 countries and territories with local support in 166. Offering a comprehensive package of communication services covering cloud computing, enterprise mobility, M2M, security, unified communications, videoconferencing, and broadband, Orange Business Services delivers a best-in-class customer experience across a global landscape. Thousands of enterprise customers and 1.4 million mobile data users rely on an Orange Business Services international platform for communicating and conducting business. Orange Business Services is a four-time winner of Best Global Operator at the World Communication Awards. Learn more at www.orange-business.com.

France Telecom-Orange is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with 172,000 employees worldwide and sales of 45.3 billion euros in 2011. Orange is the Group's single brand for Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates. France Telecom (FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.

Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.

About Solidere

Solidere (The Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of the Beirut Central District, s.a.l.) is a real estate company entrusted with the reconstruction and development of Beirut city center with a capital of US $1.69 billion and about 35,000 shareholders. Its shares are traded on the Beirut and London Stock Exchange. Solidere is developing 4.69 million square meters of built-up-space (40% for residential, 50% for commercial and office, and 10% for hotels, cultural and leisure services). The objective is to create a mixed-use environment and a vibrant city center. This is expected to re-instate Beirut as a regional and international Business Center, a favored tourist destination and a prime residential area, endowed with the finest city center in the Middle East.