Orange Business Services has strengthened its partnership with JTI through a five-year, $120 million contract extension until the end of 2021. JTI is the international arm of Japan Tobacco, the world's third largest tobacco manufacturer. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and has been an Orange Business Services customer since 1995.

The contract extension builds on the close relationship between the two companies. JTI has identified Orange Business Services as the ideal partner to assist them in their IT transition to cloud services and the digital transformation of their business.

As part of the contract, Orange Business Services will deliver a wide range of fully-managed services to 20,000 users in over 300 sites worldwide. These include network services, application acceleration, performance management, remote access, voice traffic, Microsoft Skype for Business unified communications and contact center services.

"Digital Transformation is key for us. Our trusted partner Orange Business Services understands our needs and helps us to stay competitive. We believe in their expertise and knowledge, and they are able to present us with a long-term strategy. Orange's global capabilities match our geographical footprint," says Guilain Rogg, vice president, IT Global Technical Center, JTI.

JTI has been a customer of Orange Business Services since 1995 and signed its first communications outsourcing contract in 2004. In 2009, Orange successfully expanded its partnership by supporting JTI's continuous business growth. In 2013, JTI retained Orange as its strategic partner to develop and execute its Unified Communications transformation.

"JTI is a longstanding customer, with whom we have more than just a provider relationship. I am very pleased and happy about the continuation of our trusted partnership, especially since JTI is always at the leading edge with its IT solutions," said Anne-Sophie Lotgering, senior vice president, Europe, Russia and CIS, Orange Business Services.