France Telecom (NYSE: FTE), owners of the Orange carrier brand, reported first quarter profits fell, as the company invested in TV programming for its new service in France. Earnings before interest, tax, and depreciation dropped 4.4 percent to 4.3 billion euros (£3.9 billion) from 4.63 billion euros (£4.15 billion) a year earlier. Revenues fell 2.6 percent to 12.69 billion euros (£11.38 billion) hit by fluctuating exchange rates, and missing analyst forecasts of 12.84 billion euros (£11.5 billion) .

Europe’s third largest telecoms group managed to increase the number of its mobile customers by 9.5 percent compared to a year earlier to reach 122.9 million customers as of the end of March 2009. Contract customers grew by 9 percent, but it was mobile broadband that was once again its hot spot, surging nearly 80 percent in one year to give the telco 20.6 million subscriber at the end of March. Its ADSL broadband services also managed to increase customers, climbing 8.7 percent to 13.2 million as of 31 March 2009. Its ADSL Multiservice, or bundled broadband services did particularly well, with its digital satellite TV and braodband bundle seeing a 75 percent increase in customers to 2.5 million. Livebox customers, meanwhile, rose 20 percent to 8.2 million. In the UK, Orange’s mobile operations sales were stable, but its broadband operations didn’t fare as well. Orange UK saw the number of its broadband customers drop 11.7 percent to 977,000, while narrowband numbers plunged 50 percent to 117,000.

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