Orange Accelerates the Deployment of Mobile Contactless Services With Launch of the Samsung Wave 578 in Europe

Barcelona, Spain (ots/PRNewswire) - As the first
European operator to announce that we would deploy a new generation
of SIM cards and handsets to facilitate mobile contactless services,
Orange has extended its successful and long-term relationship with
Samsung to deliver handsets enabled for NFC (Near Field
Communications) firstly in the UK, France, Spain and Poland. The
Samsung Wave 578 will be launched by Orange in Spain, Poland and
France from Q2 this year[1] before being rolled out to the wider
Orange European footprint. It will be the first in a series of
NFC-enabled handsets that will include devices from LG and Nokia,
amongst others. Orange expects that by the end of 2011 over half of
all new smartphone models to be added to its range for Europe will be
optimised for mobile contactless services.

In line with Orange's strategy to give mobile customers the best
possible access to content and new services, the Orange Samsung Wave
578 is equipped with NFC connectivity in a sleek and user-friendly
design. It runs on bada 1.1, Samsung's operating system. Wave 578
enables fast data rates and easy information with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth 3.0, and USB 2.0. The device will also feature Orange
Signature services including Orange TV Player, Orange Maps, Orange
Messenger and the Orange Application Shop. The inclusion of
SIM-secured contactless capabilities will lay the foundations for
Orange to enable a tranche of new services from partners in the
future, ranging from mobile payment to ticketing and transportation.

Anne Bouverot, Executive Vice President, Mobile Services, Orange,
said, "We are spearheading the third biggest revolution in the mobile
arena, after mobile voice services and the explosion in mobile data.
Mobile contactless services will change people's daily lives. We're
very pleased that partners like Samsung are helping us to accelerate
these plans. Our clear ambition is to create a vibrant eco-system and
by combining our own mobile innovations with the best handsets, we
can fulfil our vision of bringing new mobile services that will
benefit everyone."

"Samsung provided us with the 'Player One Cityzi' handset which
enabled the Cityzi service in Nice to become one of the world's first
mass-market commercial contactless services," added Bouverot. "With
the availability of new NFC-enabled devices from Samsung, and many
more from our other handset partners to come in 2011, we are moving
closer to a world in which we believe mobile contactless services
will soon become the norm."

DJ Lee, Executive Vice President Global Sales & Marketing,
Samsung's Mobile communications Business, said, "We are very pleased
to offer Orange customers a strong product portfolio across fixed
home and mobile. With the newly launched mobile contactless service,
Samsung and Orange will provide true benefits of a smart mobile life
to Orange customers. In 2010, we have really seen the relationship
strengthen in the area of mobile multimedia as customers enjoy new
offers such as the Samsung Wave, Samsung's own bada platform based
smartphone and the popular Samsung Galaxy S, Android powered
smartphone. This, in addition to the recently launched Samsung Galaxy
Tab with customised Orange services, is a healthy and successful
collaboration that stems from a shared desire to really focus on the
quality of the customer experience."

Orange and Samsung are also working more closely than ever to
give customers a simpler, richer experience and access to specialised
customer care services.

The Orange Cityzi Pass in Nice, France

The Orange Cityzi Pass enables Orange customers in Nice, France
to use Cityzi contactless services on their mobile handset. Services
include local urban transport, payment in over 1000 shops, loyalty,
couponing and tag reading. Orange Citzyi Pass is Orange's commercial
service offering of a project called Citzyi (http://www.cityzi.fr),
coordinated by The Association Francaise du Sans Contact Mobile
(AFSCM). The project includes other operators - SFR, BYT and the MVNO
NRJ Mobile - and service providers from various industries, such as
BNP Paribas, Credit Mutuel/CIC, Veolia Transport, La croissanterie,
Game and Franprix.

Mobile Contactless Services

Contactless mobile phones are a new generation of mobile phones,
able to interact with their environment thanks to NFC (Near Field
Communication), a short distance wireless connection technology. The
phone is fitted with a "second antenna" that manages NFC exchanges
and all you need to do is to move it near a scanner to trigger an
action, such as validating a transport ticket, paying for purchases
or accessing information, amongst others.

[1] Excludes UK

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Contact:
CONTACT: Contacts:
VanessaClarke:+447891056593,vanessa.clarke@orange-ftgroup.com;Tom
Wright:+33678913511,tom.wright@orange-ftgroup.com