Orange lifts Guidance as MEA Revenue Climbs 14% in Q3

Orange booked Q3 revenue of €12.2 billion, up 3.6% year-on-year, and raised its annual EBITDaL guidance to above 4.5% after growth in every geographic region, with Middle East and Africa leading at 14%.

The French operator, reporting group-wide results for the quarter, no longer disclosed net profit figures but posted EBITDaL of €4.1 billion, up 4.6%. That performance prompted management to lift full-year EBITDaL guidance from an earlier expectation of above 4%.

Where the growth came from

All regions contributed to the top-line increase. Spain grew 3.5%, boosted by the integration of the operator formerly known as MasOrange, whose buyout Orange completed in June. France came in just above flat. The rest of Europe rose 5.3%, with Poland singled out by management as a strong performer.

CEO Christel Heydemann said: "Africa and Middle East continued its remarkable growth, while Europe, particularly Poland, delivered solid results."

For practitioners, the regional mix matters. MEA remains the growth engine, running at roughly four times the pace of Spain and nearly three times the pace of the rest of Europe.

What did the quarter change strategically?

Heydemann pointed to several concrete moves under the operator's Trust the Future plan. Orange secured an extended SecNumCloud qualification for Orange Business' cloud offerings, the French state certification covering security and digital sovereignty for sensitive workloads. The cybersecurity unit also continued sustained growth.

In France, the operator launched new commercial deals during the period.

After the quarter closed, Orange signed a letter of intent with Telefonica, Vodafone Group and Deutsche Telelukom's German peer Deutsche Telekom to explore a joint bid for mobile satellite services spectrum across Europe. Heydemann framed the move in sovereignty terms.

She said the "initiative supports the ambition to strengthen the sovereignty, security and resilience of Europe's strategic infrastructure."

The four-operator grouping signals a coordinated European approach to direct-to-device and satellite connectivity spectrum, rather than individual national bids.

What is the state of the SFR carve-up?

Orange is still pursuing its proposed purchase of assets from Altice-owned French rival SFR, part of a wider three-way deal with Bouygues Telecom and Free–Iliad Group. The transaction remains on track to close in H2 2027.

The timeline carries a legal caveat. Orange stated: "While rulings are expected in proceedings brought by the works council within the Altice France group, Orange remains committed to constructive social dialogue, which is ongoing."

That labour-court uncertainty is the main regulatory variable in a deal that would reshape the French mobile market from four players toward consolidated ownership structures.

Heydemann also tied the quarter back to the group's broader strategy, saying: "This third quarter confirms the strong momentum generated by our Trust the Future plan."

With guidance now above 4.5% EBITDaL growth for the year, attention shifts to the SFR court rulings and the satellite spectrum bid as the two milestones most likely to define Orange's next twelve months.