Deutsche Telekom and France Telecom-Orange have said they will “explore potential areas of cooperation in a defined set of technology fields”.
The two groups have agreed to talk about specific areas of potential cooperation in the following areas:
- radio access network sharing in Europe
- improving WiFi user experience while roaming
- equipment standardization
- Machine-to-Machine (M2M) standards and quality of service for cross-border services
- a set of new growth business development domains
- technical cooperation on home media servers, development of cross border e-Health services, connected cars technology and in-car infotainment services, content and technical enablers for TV and video services
It seems that the cooperation is in fact a bit further on than the “talks about talks” stage, as the two telcos have already created a machine-to-machine cooperation agreement and a joint project on the improvement of the WiFi user experience while roaming.
The specific cooperation agreement for M2M is aimed at increasing the quality of service and standards for cross-border machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. The agreement, which initially covers France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg, aims to include all mobile network operators affiliated to the two groups, and to expand globally through partnerships with other mobile network operators.
In time the operators see the agreement forming a foundation for a seamless network that can offer reliable cross-border services anywhere in the world.
On WiFi, both groups are jointly exploring solutions for improving their customers’ experience and roaming conditions on each others WiFi network. Both groups share the conviction that the international traveller of tomorrow will want to be able to download large amounts of data, for private or business reasons, without having to be burdened with the choice between WiFi access and 3G mobile access.
“Operators are expected to increase quality of service and to eliminate barriers and borders when using services,” said Ed Kozel, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Deutsche Telekom. “We are confident that the cooperation with France Telecom-Orange in dedicated areas will enable both of us to bring sustained benefits to our customers.”
“With this collaboration, our two groups will be able to address new growth opportunities as well as operational efficiency issues in a limited and targeted set of business domains for the benefits of our respective customers, while maintaining our individual strategies,” said Elie Girard, Executive Vice President Strategy and Development of France Telecom-Orange.