France Telecom S.A. is a French multinational telecommunications corporation in France, the largest in Europe and second largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people (half outside France) and has 192.7 million customers worldwide (2010). In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion. Its head office is in Place d'Alleray in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, and the current CEO is Stéphane Richard. Orange represents its official brand for mobile and fixed telephone services as well as its fixed (ISP) and mobile internet services.In 1792, under the French Revolution, the first communication network was developed to enable the quick transporting of information in a warring and unsafe country. That was the optical telegraphy network of Claude Chappe.In 1878, after the invention of the electrical telegraph and then the invention of the phone, the French State created a Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. Telephone Services were added to the ministry when they were nationalized in 1889. However, it was not until 1923 that the second 'T' (for 'telephones') appeared and the department of P&T became PTT.In 1941, a General Direction of Telecommunications was created within this ministry. Then, in 1944, the National Centre of Telecommunications Studies (CNET) was created to develop the telecommunications industry in France.In the 1970s, France tried extra hard to make up its delay on other countries with the programme "delta LP" (increasing the main lines). It was at the time when was built the main part of the local loop that is all the cables linking the consumers to the operator. Moreover, with the help of French manufacturers, the numerical switching, the Minitel and the GSM norm were invented by engineers and CNET researchers.Up to 1988, France Télécom was known as the Direction Générale des Télécommunications, a division of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. It became autonomous in 1990; this was in response to a European directive which aimed at making competition mandatory in public services from the 1 January 1998. The 2 July 1990 Bill changed France Telecom into an operator of public law whom Marcel Roulet was the first Chairman. Since then, the company has a separate body corporate from the State and acquire a financial autonomy. It was privatized by Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government starting on 1 January 1998. The French government, both directly and through its holding company ERAP, continues to hold a stake of almost 27% in the firm. In addition, the government Conseil of Ministers names the CEO.In 1982 Telecom introduced Minitel, for its customers to for the first time to perform online ordering. In September 1995, Michel Bon is appointed to run France Telecom Group.
Net income € 3.895 billion (2011)
Total assets € 96.08 billion (2011)