Orange, the mobile phone subsidiary of France Telecom, has awarded non-binding contracts to build part of its third generation network to suppliers from France, Finland and Canada.
Confirming an earlier report, Orange said it would negotiate the terms of the 'framework agreements' with France's Alcatel, Finland's Nokia and Nortel Networks of Canada in the coming months.
Telecom equipment suppliers have been hit by falling orders amid 3G launch delays as Europe's mobile market reaches saturation point.
Though thin on detail, the announcement of the deals with Europe's third largest mobile operator sent shares in Nortel, Alcatel and Nokia higher.
Orange is gearing up to launch a new generation of multimedia phones around mid-2004 in its core British market.
