BT's move to purchase mobile operator EE is expected to put the former state-owned telecoms giant back in pole position as fixed line and mobile services converge, forcing rivals such as Vodafone to make costly moves of their own to keep up. BT on Monday entered into exclusive talks with the owners of EE, Orange and Deutsche Telekom, after playing them off for weeks against rival suitor, Telefonica , showing the power the 168-year-old fixed-line operator now wields with its vision of providing a unified fixed and mobile broadband Internet service.With companies looking to offer bundles of mobile and fixed line broadband, telephony and pay-TV services from one provider, BT is seen as best placed to prosper with its planned fixed-mobile services spiced up with exclusive TV content such as Premier League soccer games.The EE move also revives BT's rivalry with Vodafone which dates back to when they were the two biggest names in British telecoms until a heavily indebted BT dropped out of the mobile market in 2001.The prospect of a BT which has since been emboldened by the success of its broadband strategy now jumping into top spot in the mobile market has already caused Vodafone to review its strategic options, including whether it should buy cable operator Liberty Global.
Orange SA, formerly France Telecom SA, is a France-based company that is engaged, principally, in the provision of integrated telecommunications services. Shares of ORAN traded higher by 6.14% or $0.98/share to $16.93. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $11.82 and as high as $18.05. On average, 606578 shares of ORAN exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 291565.
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