France Telecom CEO upbeat on Spain; ADSL share boosted by Ya.com

BARCELONA, Nov. 16, 2007 (Thomson Financial delivered by Newstex) -- France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) chief executive Didier Lombard gave an upbeat assessment of the group's position in Spain, estimating that the recent acquisition of Ya.com has raised its share of the ADSL market to 18 pct from 12 pct.Speaking at the 7th Annual Technology, Media & Telecoms Conference, Lombard said France Telecom's performance in Spain has improved a lot, especially in mobile.Regarding other international markets, he said the company wants to improve its footprint both in Africa and in Asia. France Telecom announced earlier today that the Kenyan government has chosen a consortium led by the French group as preferred bidder for a 51 pct stake in Telkom Kenya, in a 390 mln usd deal.In other matters, the CEO said buying out minority shareholders is not a priority for the group.Lombard also reiterated France Telecom's recently upgraded full-year guidance for organic cash flow of 7.5 bln eur, and re-confirmed its targets for capex of around 13 pct of revenues, and a dividend of 40-45 pct of organic cash flow.He said the group will communicate further during an investor day on Dec 5.Speaking to the press after his presentation, Lombard declined to comment on proposals made this week by EU telecoms commissioner Viviane Reding, who wants to create a Europe-wide agency and give national regulators the power to separate the network and services divisions of incumbent operators.
Source: money.cnn.com