• Orange becomes the first operator to offer photo sharing on Twitter via MMS
• Orange customers able to receive free text updates and ‘tweet’ back as part of their mobile plan
• Twitter will join Facebook, MySpace and Bebo in Orange’s Social Life service

Orange today announced a partnership with Twitter, which will enable customers to send and receive Twitter updates directly from their mobile phones using text messaging. It also sees Orange become the first mobile phone operator to enable customers to upload and share photos on Twitter via MMS.

The partnership has been designed to give Orange customers fast and simple access to Twitter without the need to download special software or pay extra for services. Customers will be able to update their own ’tweets’, send direct messages to other Twitter users and receive alerts on Twitter activity all through text messaging. Twitter alerts will be available free, with upload text messages either included in customers’ bundles or charged at the usual rate.

Orange customers will have full control over Twitter alerts sent to their mobile phones with customers able to choose to receive text message updates on ‘tweets’ from all people they follow, individual users or direct messages. They’ll also be able to set times for receiving ‘tweets’.

Orange has also become the first mobile phone operator to enable customers to upload and share photos on Twitter via MMS. The Orange service enables customers to post their photos on ‘Snapshot’, a site developed by Orange UK, which automatically posts the link directly to Twitter in a ‘tweet’ and allow followers to add comments.

Finally, Twitter will also join Facebook, MySpace and Bebo on Social Life, a mobile social networking aggregator created by Orange which brings together social networking activity in one central place. Accessible from Orange World, Orange’s mobile internet portal, Social Life allows customers to view and post updates and get in touch with friends and family across all four social networks at the same time through a single log-in.

The first operator to provide free access for pay as you go customers to MySpace, Facebook and Bebo, Orange UK has been at the forefront in bringing mobile social networking to a mainstream audience. The success of such initiatives has been demonstrated through a surge in adoption of mobile social networking services – with social networking usage doubling in the period from January - August 2009 alone.

Mark Watts Jones, Head of Product Management for Orange UK, said: “We’ve seen over the last year how Twitter is transforming the dynamics of real-time search and breaking news. So we’re delighted to extend the value of the service by bringing it to mobile, enabling our customers to view and update their Twitter streams and giving them the unique ability to upload photos directly via MMS.”

To find out more about the service, Orange mobile users should visit Orange World from their mobile handset.

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Notes to Editor

MMS pricing is at the usual Orange rate - 30p per MMS or taken from the customers MMS bundle Orange customers post their photos by MMS via a twitter shortcode (86444) and after entering their username and password, their photo will be automatically uploaded

About Orange

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 123 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. At the end of September 2009, Orange had more than 17 million customers in the UK – 16.11 million active mobile customers and approximately 900,000 fixed broadband customers.

At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (12.7 billion euros for the first quarter of 2009) and at 31st March 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 184 million customers in 32 countries. These include 123 million mobile customers worldwide and 13 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers in Europe. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number one provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.

• New four week sponsorship campaign to promote the Orange Rockcorps Collective during Rickie, Melvin and Charlie’s breakfast show
• Radio trails and online editorial to run nationwide across Kiss 100 stations

Orange has launched a four week promotion on Bauer Media’s Kiss 100 to promote the benefits of volunteering with the Orange Rockcorps Collective. The launch of the Orange RockCorps Collective follows 2 highly successful concerts earlier in the year. Orange RockCorps are offering even more rewards to incentivise volunteering across the UK, by sharing their volunteering stories online they get given cool music rewards and in turn encourage other people to volunteer.

The campaign starts from 6am, 4th December on the Kiss 100 breakfast show, hosted by Rickie, Melvin and Charlie. Listeners will be encouraged to join the Orange Rockcorps Collective and share volunteering stories on the totalkiss.com/orangerockcorps page which will include information on charities people can get involved with and stories from volunteers.

The radio trails will include vox pops from volunteers giving their personal stories of how they got involved with the Orange RockCorps Collective, encouraging others to get involved.

Volunteers who post their experiences on the Orange RockCorps website can receive a subscription to Kiss 100 stablemates Q magazine, FHM, Heat or Kerrang! Plus the chance to enter into prize draws where they could win tickets to Sony Ericsson Presents Q, The Music Club Live gigs or Sony Ericsson W995 Walkman™ phones.

Since 2008 13,000 people have volunteered in the Orange RockCorps core programme. The Orange RockCorps Collective gives the opportunity to give back to the community to thousands more; whenever, wherever. Anyone wishing to take part in the Orange RockCorps Collective can register by visiting http://www.orangerockcorps.co.uk

Ian Smith, Head of Brand for Orange UK said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring the Kiss 100 breakfast show and are hoping that thousands of listeners will feel inspired to join the Orange Rockcorps Collective after hearing the experience of other volunteers. With a collective effort we can make a real difference to local communities.”

Steve Parkinson, MD of Bauer Radio London, commented: “We're looking forward to adding even more editorial depth to the amazing project that is Orange RockCorps. There is a perfect fit for both brands and we will ensure that we deliver great content for the consumers and great results for Orange.”

Stephen Greene, RockCorps co-founder and CEO commented: “The Orange RockCorps Collective is the next step in our work to inspire people in the UK to get involved in their community. It was a natural to do this linkup Kiss 100, in order to share the stories of volunteers and to inspire others to give something back. Keep listening and get involved!”

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About Orange Rockcorps

The Orange RockCorps programme, a partnership between Orange and RockCorps, inspires young people to volunteer within their local community by producing concerts for which you can’t buy a ticket. Rather, you must do 4 hours of volunteer work in a RockCorps volunteer project to earn a ticket to the gig. All volunteer projects are completed in partnership and for the benefit of local charity partners. Research has shown that over 96% of the participants would volunteer with Orange RockCorps again, and 57% would volunteer in their local community without the incentive of a ticket.

RockCorps launched in 2005 to affect social change and act as the bridge between communities in need and the young adults who want to make them better. Since that time, RockCorps has combined the power of music, community and volunteerism to expose young people to simple ways they can proactively contribute. This is much more than a series of volunteer events and concerts; it is a way to connect young people with dynamic charities already doing great work in the local community.

About Orange

Orange is the key brand of the France Telecom Group, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators. With 126 million customers, the Orange brand now covers Internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the Group operates.

In the UK, Orange provides high quality GSM coverage to 99% of the UK population, and 3G coverage to more than 93%. At the end of September 2009, Orange had more than 17 million customers in the UK – 16.11 million active mobile customers and approximately 900,000 fixed broadband customers.

At the end of 2008, France Telecom had consolidated sales of 53.5 billion euros (38.1 billion euros for the first nine months of 2009) and at 30 September 2009, the Group had a customer base of almost 190 million customers in 32 countries. These include 128.8 million mobile customers and 13.4 million broadband Internet (ADSL) customers worldwide. Orange is the number three mobile operator and the number two provider of broadband Internet services in Europe and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies. Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Personal Communications Services Limited.

For more information please call the Orange Press Office 0870 3731500, or visit www.orange.co.uk/newsroom