Orange and Akamai Technologies, a providers of cloud infrastructure and CDN services, have announced a strategic alliance to address the growing needs of the enterprise sector for improved content delivery. Orange has agreed to use technology from Akamai’s Aura Network Solutions to provide CDN services to business customers. Upon deployment, the operator’s enterprise division Orange Business Services will market these solutions initially in France. In addition, the two groups have formed an innovation steering committee to identify areas of innovation in the field of CDN solutions.

With content delivery network (CDN) solutions based on Akamai technology, Orange will address the exponential increase in web-based traffic, in particular HD video and e-commerce services. CDN systems use a widely-distributed network of servers to spread content that would otherwise be concentrated in a few locations. The result is greater network efficiency and a more secure system, as well as better service quality for end users by improving uptime, and enabling faster access and download speeds.

Through this partnership, Orange aims to meet its business customers’ needs, particularly in the media and e-commerce markets, by providing cutting-edge video solutions and web-acceleration services.

The partnership between the two companies is intended to provide enterprises with access to Akamai’s optimisation and acceleration technologies through Orange Business Services. By combining Akamai’s expertise in improving Internet performance for end users across multiple devices with Orange’s network, both companies look to address the growing market demand for content delivery.

Today’s news brings together two major players in their respective industries with the aim of developing and offering innovative solutions for optimizing online media, web-based applications and mobile content. In addition, Akamai and Orange will also jointly explore areas of innovation to bring new solutions to market.

“We see great potential in this partnership with Akamai,” said Gilles Prunier, Senior Vice President in charge of the Smart Networks program at Orange. “Developing an Orange CDN service, powered by Akamai, will allow us to enrich our existing BtoB services portfolio and to support our customers’ growth by providing them with new and differentiated web features that improve the end-user experience and ultimately increase customer loyalty.”

“Akamai and Orange have a history of bringing unique and innovative solutions to address enterprises’ needs,” said Mark Vargo, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Akamai EMEA. “By combining the strengths of two leading technology companies in a single partnership, we believe we can provide enterprises in the French market with a robust and comprehensive set of acceleration and optimization offerings that will help address all aspects of their online businesses.”

The partnership, which reflects a binding Memorandum of Understanding between the two companies, is subject to the execution of one or more definitive agreements setting forth the final terms and conditions for the companies’ activities.

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