Numericable : SFR and Thales enhance the Professional Mobile Radio network

SFR and Thales have formed a technology partnership to meet the future network requirements of Professional Mobile Radio (PMR) systems and bring the benefits of 4G/LTE technology to PMR users. Under the agreement, the two partners will offer mission-critical services on the high-speed network operated by SFR.

PMR networks are independent mobile radio communication networks that play a crucial role in protecting people and property. They offer specific functionality such as call management, and guarantee high availability in emergency situations. PMR networks are used by governments, public services (police, hospitals, local authorities, etc.), and businesses of all sizes in various sectors of activity (industry, construction, transport, security, voluntary organisations, etc.).

Under this partnership, SFR and Thales will demonstrate how the next evolution of 4G/LTE technologies can provide professional user groups with the robust, high-performance communication capabilities they need, while making it easier to access and share data, imagery, video and other real-time information across a fast broadband network.

The partners will conduct professional service demonstrations using SFR's 4G/LTE infrastructure managed by a secure services platform provided by Thales.

Thales is a key player in PMR, offering innovative and flexible solutions incorporating the first professional broadband applications in the marketplace. This partnership underlines SFR's commitment to offer innovative solutions for mobile networks and security for its enterprise customers.

"We're constantly evolving our 4G network and introducing new functionality," said Guillaume de Lavallade, Executive Vice President in charge of B2B activities at SFR. "As a result, we're ready to provide our major customers with the professional mobile solutions they need."

"Some 30 countries to date have chosen Thales mobile radio solutions," said Marc Darmon, Executive Vice-President of Thales's Secure Communications and Information Systems business. "We're one of the pioneers of LTE solutions for secure applications. Thales's proven expertise in protected and resilient solutions is a key enabler, ensuring that our customers gain all the benefits of secure, high-speed communications across different types of dedicated, managed infrastructures."

About SFR - www.sfr.com

A global operator, SFR holds prime positions in all of France's telecommunications market segments, from consumer to B-to-B, local authorities and wholesale. Being the sole owner of its infrastructures, the Group pairs two powerful networks and, thanks to its investments, SFR aims to rapidly extend its fiber and 4G coverage to every corner of the country whilst offering optimal service quality.

Building on from the existing top-tier fiber optics network and a leading mobile network, SFR aims to create the nation's new leader in the combined broadband and mobile markets.

SFR offers a comprehensive range of Internet-access, fixed-line, mobile and audiovisual services.

SFR is also an expert for solutions in the fields of unified communications, Internet of Things and cloud computing for businesses.

On the Consumer segment, the Group operates under the SFR and RED by SFR brands. On the B-to-B segment, it operates under the SFR Business brand, serving over 190,000 companies.

The Group serves 21.9 million mobile customers and 6.4 million households subscribing to broadband services.

Listed on Euronext Paris (Euronext NUM) and owned by Altice group (78%), the Group posted turnover of €11 billion in 2015 and gathers a total of 14,500 men and women.

Follow the Group's latest news on Twitter@SFR_Groupe

Media relations: Valérie JAQUET,[e-mail],[phone]

About Thales -www.thalesgroup.com

Thales is a global technology leader for the Aerospace, Transport, Defence and Security markets. With 62,000 employees in 56 countries, Thales reported sales of €14 billion in 2015. With over 22,000 engineers and researchers, Thales has a unique capability to design and deploy equipment, systems and services to meet the most complex security requirements. Its exceptional international footprint allows it to work closely with its customers all over the world.

Positioned as a value-added systems integrator, equipment supplier and service provider, Thales is one of Europe's leading players in the security market. Thales solutions secure the four key domains considered vital to modern societies: government, cities, critical infrastructure and cyberspace.

As a global technology leader in the telecommunications sector, Thales is in a unique position to keep voice and data flows secure at all times on any type of public, private or satcom network. Based on a distributed architecture, Thales solutions incorporate the first high-data-rate applications in the marketplace and can be tailored to the requirements of specific groups of professional users. As one of the pioneers of LTE solutions, Thales has developed a secure, resilient solution for mission‐critical applications. Some 30 countries to date have chosen Thales PMR solutions for public safety, transportation, airport security and applications in industry and the oil and gas sector.

Media relations: Dorothée BONNEIL,[e-mail], [phone]