WASHINGTON -- Dec. 22, 2004 -- Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is the winner of the quality contest run by the Center of Research and Evaluation in the Communications Sphere and awarded by the Russian Federation Ministry of Communications.
Equant won the first prize in the 2003 nomination for "Operator of Data Transfer and Telematic Services." The prize won by Equant is awarded for efficient quality management and outstanding quality.
The contest was established in 1997 by the RF Ministry of IT and Communications to advance the national market of information communications through the introduction of efficient techniques of quality management and to disseminate the best practices of the winners.
The winners are nominated by the independent Expert Council that consists of top experts in the communications industry experienced in design, testing and implementation of quality management systems.
In his reference, Leonid Reyman, the minister of RF IT and Communications, noted that participation in this contest is a demonstration of the current achievements on a long struggle for constant improvement of quality in branch of production and given services.
"The Quality Award in telecommunications shows that the joint effort of our employees has been recognized and that many years of work on the new quality standards have produced positive results," said Tatiana Prokhorova, Russia country manager, Equant. "We are happy to see that Equant has won recognition at the top level in Russia and in the future we shall maintain the same high standards of quality in our telecommunication services."
Equant has been in the Russian telecommunications market for more than 45 years. In addition, Equant has offices in 14 of the largest cities and operates in 300 cities in Russia and the CIS.
About Equant
Equant (NYSE: ENT) (Euronext Paris: EQU) is a recognized industry leader in global communications services for multinational businesses. Equant combines its network expertise - including unmatched seamless network reach in 220 countries and territories and local support in approximately 165 countries - with its expanded services capabilities to provide global, integrated and customized communication services to enable its customers key business processes. Equant serves thousands of the world's top companies, with the industry's most extensive portfolio of communications services and network solutions, including the market-leading IP VPN used by nearly 1,300 global businesses. Equant, a subsidiary of France Telecom, consistently leads industry surveys in corporate user satisfaction.
