Freemove to provide Fiat with pan-european mobile communication services

  • Leading multinational chooses 'mobility without complexity' for more than 20,000 mobile lines across 17 European countries.

18th February 2005 - FreeMove, the mobile alliance formed by Orange, Telefónica Móviles, TIM (Telecom Italia Mobile) and T-Mobile, today announced that it has signed a Framework Agreement to provide pan-European mobile services for FIAT, a leading player in the automotive market.  The agreement, which includes more than 20,000 mobile lines across 17 European countries, demonstrates the strength of the alliance as a leading supplier of mobile services and solutions to multinational corporations.

Mario Leone , Chief Information Officer of the FIAT Group,  commented: "FreeMove will facilitate  our delivery of  mobile communications with greater end-user transparency and effective cost management for our company.  We will enhance the visibility of our detailed spending while providing thousands of employees with higher quality and dependable mobile services that ultimately help FIAT to deliver value and improved response time to our customers."

FreeMove will streamline Fiat's mobile communications by providing the company with a broad portfolio of innovative services, including global reporting and analysis, dedicated account management and a personalized customer service support team, all of which allows for cost-effective management and a transparent view of mobile line usage across its European operations.

FIAT has leading multinational operations in the automotive, industrial and commercial vehicle sectors with well-known brands such as FIAT, LANCIA, ALFA ROMEO and IVECO, as well as a strong presence in agricultural machinery (CHN), automation (COMAU) and components (MAGNETI  MARELLI), etc.

"FreeMove is helping FIAT sweep away the complexity associated with international mobile call charges across a multinational organisation, supporting the company's initiative to increase efficiency throughout Europe," said Roberto Pellegrini, Executive Vice President Corporate Sales of TIM, who played an important role in the bid management process.  "We're very proud to provide cutting-edge mobile communications to FIAT, a company that has a long and prestigious history."

The FreeMove alliance already working with a number of multinational customers based in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The  customers are benefiting from FreeMove's compelling voice and data roaming offer, based on a simple and predictable zoned tariff structure that is the same regardless of the network to which the user's handset connects.

FreeMove corporate BlackBerry' users benefit from a set monthly rates which allow them even virtually unlimited access to email even when they roam, and FreeMove offers an easy consolidated account and bid management process to simplify customer service.

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About Orange
Orange and wirefree and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange PCS. The Orange group is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies and a subsidiary of the France Telecom group, with operations in 16 countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a broad range of personal communications services, including Orange GSM1800 services and other digital cellular telephone services. Within the Orange Group, the Orange brand operates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana, and Madagascar.  The Orange group also has controlled operations in Belgium (Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling interest in Egypt (MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal (Optimus) and in Austria (One).  As at the end of December 2004, Orange was the largest mobile operator in both the UK with over 14.2 million active customers, and France with over 21.24 million registered customers. As at the end of December 2004, Orange controlled companies had almost 54 million customers worldwide. Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.com.

About Telefónica Móviles
Telefónica Móviles manages all the Telefónica Group's cellular assets throughout the world. It is one of the world's largest mobile telephony operators and the leader in the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking markets, with operations on three continents and a managed customer base of nearly  72 million (at September 30, 2004).. In 2003, Telefónica Móviles reported operating revenues of 10,070 million euros (+10.2%), EBITDA of 4,463 million euros (+19.5%) and net profit of 1,608 million euros. For further information on Telefónica Móviles, see our website: www.telefonicamoviles.com

About TIM
TIM (Telecom Italia Group), , is the leading Italian mobile operator with 26.2 million lines in the domestic market(as of September 30, 2004). With its subsidiaries and associate companies in the Mediterranean basin and in South America, it has reached a total of 52 million lines (as of September 30, 2004). In the framework of a competitive scenario noteworthy for its high penetration rate in the domestic market and characterised by a rapid technological development, TIM's attention to innovation confirms its leadership in the traditional voice business while making it one of the fundamental players in the development of the telecommunications industry. Additional information on TIM can be found on www.tim.it

About T-Mobile
T-Mobile International is one of the world's leading companies in mobile communications. As one of Deutsche Telekom`s three strategic business units, T-Mobile concentrates on the most dynamic markets in Europe and the United States. By end of 2004, almost 120 million people were using the mobile communications services provided by companies in which T-Mobile or Deutsche Telekom have a majority or minority stake. And all that over a common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most successful digital wireless standard. This also makes T-Mobile the only mobile communications provider with a seamless transatlantic service.

FIAT
Fiat is a major industrial group that has operated in the automobile sector for over one hundred years, designing, constructing and selling: cars, trucks, tractors, agricultural machinery, earth-moving equipment, motors and automotive components and production equipment and systems.

The Group performs productive and service operations through its Operating Divisions. The principal three divisions, which account for 70 percent of the sales, refer respectively, to Fiat Auto (automobiles), CNH Global (agricultural and construction machinery) and Iveco (industrial vehicles). The other divisions are Ferrari and Maserati (luxury sports cars), Magnetti Marelli (components), Comau (production equipment and systems), Teksid (metallurgical products), Business Solutions (services) and Itedi (publishing and communications).


 
About the Company

T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.