Orange and Apigate will join forces to launch digital Application Programming Interface (API) hub in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa

Through the partnership being discussed, APIs can be delivered to international and local companies alike, resulting in consolidation of traffic and expansion of reach

BARCELONA, Spain, February 26, 2018/ -- Orange (www.Orange.com), one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, and Apigate, a subsidiary of Axiata Digital (www.AxiataDigital.com), announced a new partnership to strengthen their respective API hubs as part of their mutual ambition to advance global digital transformation.

Apigate and Orange’s new hub, Bizao (www.Bizao.com) will draw on their respective geographical strengths across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, to deliver a suite of APIs to businesses, providing a streamlined and efficient method of accessing customers via a single entry point across regions. APIs provide the impetus for digital revolution and innovation, enabling the delivery of new services such as mobile payment, communication, and identity. Through the partnership being discussed, APIs can be delivered to international and local companies alike, resulting in consolidation of traffic and expansion of reach.

The partnership will see Apigate delivering a Digital Enablement Hub to soon-to-be launched Bizao, as well as a hub-to-hub connection of the two operators’ API platforms to facilitate a single technical, commercial, and financial integration. This will enable faster deployment for businesses to distribute and monetise their services. The integrated platform will address multiple operators across each of the operator’s respective footprints in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

“This exciting partnership is emblematic of our vision for digital transformation for the region and how we wish to be partners to businesses from the smallest start-ups to the largest organisations to help them grasp the opportunities that the digital age affords,” said Thomas Chalumeau, Chief Strategy Officer, Middle East and Africa at Orange.

Chief Executive of Axiata Digital, Mohd Khairil Abdullah says “This partnership marks an important milestone for the API businesses, where two major telecom operator groups are collaborating to expand their reach across each other’s footprint.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Orange.



Press contacts: +33 (0)1 44 44 93 93
Tom Wright; Tom.Wright@Orange.com  
Nicole Clarke; Nicole.Clarke@Orange.com

Zakiah@AxiataDigital.com
+6019-3965078

Salim@AxiataDigital.com
+6019-2896830

About Bizao
Bizao (www.Bizao.com) by Orange is a new hub providing a one-stop-shop for companies building mobile services for the African and Middle-Eastern market and can be accessed through www.Bizao.com.  Services like Carrier Billing, USSD and SMS can be subscribed centrally and require a single integration to access multiple operators in the Orange footprint of 21 countries and 120 million customers. Bizao delivers on Orange’s strategy to be a major player in digital transformation in Africa and Middle-East.

About Orange
Orange (www.Orange.com) is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with sales of 41 billion euros in 2017 and 152,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2017, including 93,000 employees in France. Present in 29 countries, the Group has a total customer base of 273 million customers worldwide at 31 December 2017, including 211 million mobile customers and 20 million fixed broadband customers. Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication services to multinational companies, under the brand Orange Business Services. In March 2015, the Group presented its new strategic plan “Essentials2020” which places customer experience at the heart of its strategy with the aim of allowing them to benefit fully from the digital universe and the power of its new generation networks.

Orange is listed on Euronext Paris (symbol ORA) and on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol ORAN).
For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.Orange.com, www.Orange-Business.com or to follow us on Twitter: @orangegrouppr.
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

For more information on the internet and on your mobile: www.Orange.com, www.Orange-Business.com or to follow us on Twitter: @presseorange.
Orange and all other Orange products or services mentioned in this press release are trademarks owned by Orange or Orange Brand Services Limited.

About Apigate Sdn Bhd
Apigate is a subsidiary of Axiata Digital, and part of Axiata Group, one of Asia’s leading telecommunications groups with over 320 million customers and 1.8 million retail touchpoints across eight counties in South and Southeast Asia. Additionally, Apigate’s Mobile Connect Hubs in India and Brazil bring together six Indian and seven Brazilian operators respectively, serving over 936 million customers. Apigate helps Content and Services Providers, Mobile Network Operators, SMEs, Tech Startups, and Developers reach consumers around the world via its Application Programming Interface (API) platform. Through its API Gateway hubs in four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America), and integration with major application marketplaces, it provides access to mobile phone consumers across every service for direct carrier billing, voice, messaging, mobile money, location and identity. The company enables businesses to serve and charge consumers securely on their apps while simplifying the process required through a single dedicated point of contact. This integrated model increases speed and reach to consumer, and lowers the barriers to doing business.

About Axiata Digital
Axiata Digital Services (AD) (www.AxiataDigital.com), the digital services arm of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata), was established to support the increasingly digital lifestyle of Axiata consumers. In four years, this portfolio now consists of 26 digital brands focused on digital financial services (e-wallets, remittance, micro-insurance and micro-lending), digital advertising and platform services focused on API’s (Application Programming Interface) among which are  Boost, BIMA, 11Street, FreedomPop, StoreKing, AdKnowledge Asia,  and WSO2.Telco.

SOURCE
Orange