France Telecom sets sights on Africa, Mid East

France Telecom is confident about expanding its fortunes in other countries, but in obtaining those goals it will continue to expand in markets where it already has an established presence and, in addition, Africa and the Middle East.

"I don't believe in large, trans-border mergers that often destroy more value than they create for shareholders," said Stephane Richard said in an interview with French daily newspaper Le Figaro.

At the same time that it is laying out its expansion plan, France Telecom is trying to mend its relationship with its employees as it continues restructure the company. This ongoing restructuring has lead to low employee morale, a factor that prompted 25 of its employees to commit suicide over the past year. Still, France Telecom said that the despite the issues with its employees, the telco has not seen any major affect on wireline or wireless sales in the past two months.

For more:
- Total Telecom has this article

Related articles
France Telecom names Stephane Richard to deputy CEO post
European court mandates France Telecom pay back state aid
France Telecom - Top Telecom Turkeys of 2009
France Telecom: We'll meet our 2009 goals
Sluggish economy impacts France Telecom's Q3 results
France Telecom sees 24th employee suicide
France Telecom puts restructuring process on hold
Current France Telecom CEO should resign, say political groups