Orange and The Cloud

Orange customers in the UK are now able to take advantage of a further 7,500 UK Wi-Fi hotspots following a deal with The Cloud.

The mobile operator already offers Wi-Fi hotspots to its customers through partnerships with BT-Openzone, France Telecom & WeRoam.

> BBC has its head in The Cloud

France Telecom sees "special case"

Nov 16 (Reuters) - France Telecom believes its British operation is a "special case" that does not currently meet its criteria for investments elsewhere in Europe, Chief Executive Didier Lombard said on Friday.

"I should have said that the UK is a special case," he said. "In fact, the first step is to improve the UK operation."

Orange UK, a mobile and broadband operator, saw operating profit fall in the first six months of the year. Former chief-executive Bernard Ghillebaert had blamed copy-cat tactics from rivals for damaging a once cutting-edge brand.