France Telecom gets DoT nod for long-distance operations

NEW DELHI: Global communications major France Telecom has got nod from DoT to launch national and international long-distance operations in India. The company becomes the fifth international communications major to receive permission���other four being US-based AT&T and Verizon, British Telecom (BT) and Cable & Wireless.

Of these players, AT&T and British Telecom have already launched both NLD and ILD services in the country, while, Cable & Wireless is on the verge of launching services here. At present, the business generated by the long-distance segment in India is estimated to be worth over Rs 10,000 crore annually.

France Telecom���s licences in India will be held through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Orange Business Services. According to Sanjay Vig, CEO, Orange Business Services (India), the DoT nod for long-distance services would enable the company to offer end-to-end services in the country.

���We will now be able to deploy France Telecom���s internationally-certified network technologies such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Frame Relay (FR) and Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) IP VPN,��� he said.