Rising Euro devalues Orange UK revenues

France Telecom's UK revenues down 3.1 per cent

Enterprise communications services revenues remain flat

A decline in revenues from its UK Orange mobile subsidiary meant France Telecom’s first-quarter 2008 revenues remained flat at €13bn (£10.25bn) compared to €12.8bn (£10.1bn) a year earlier.

UK revenues were €1.44bn (£1.14bn), down 3.1 per cent year on year, largely due to currency changes concerning sterling against the euro, said the company. This was offset by strong growth in Poland, where revenues climbed 22 per cent to €586m (£462m).

Revenues from France Telecom’s Enterprise Communications Services division, including fixed-line telephony, data services and business network services, remained flat at €1.9bn (£1.5bn) for the quarter.

The carrier cited a €155m (£122m) loss because of currency fluctuations across Europe, combined with €128m (£101m) of charges related to the sale of Orange Netherlands and the acquisition of Ya.com in Spain last year, as some of the reasons for the disappointing first-quarter 2008 figures.