Orange and China Telecom have signed a partnership agreement that allows users to access their respective networks, both Wi-Fi and VPN, the French operator said Wednesday.
The two operators' geographic reach complement each other well, according to Orange. China Telecom's strengths are in China and the Asia Pacific region, while and Orange covers Europe and Africa, it said.
The agreement focuses on four main areas: IP-VPN cooperation, managed services, network resources cooperation and Wi-Fi roaming.
All areas except network resources cooperation will have a direct impact on Orange's and China Telecom's subscribers. Orange will allow China Telecom's subscribers to roam on to their Wi-Fi hotspots in Europe, while China Telecom will do the same for users from Orange that are visiting China and want to access the Internet.
Orange is also opening up its IP-VPN network in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, allowing China Telecom to extend coverage for subsidiaries of Chinese multinational companies. In return, China Telecom has agreed to provide managed outsourced and field services to Orange's multinational customers in China.
The two operators did not provide any details on when different parts of the agreement will be in place.
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