The company has met with more than 20 agencies in Paris over the past few weeks to discuss its global advertising strategy. However, it is understood to have opted to appoint a single agency.
The successful agency will be chosen by early summer, with France Telecom planning further meetings with nine agencies before a decision is jointly made by Thierry Breton, chief executive of France Telecom, and Sanjiv Ahuja, chief executive of Orange.
In the UK, Orange's £55m ad account is handled by Mother, which is understood to be one of the favourites, along with TBWA/London and DDB, to land the winner-takes-all pitch.
The successful agency will develop a global ad strategy that sources have described as "France Telecom's grand plan" and could involve a rebranding.
There is ongoing speculation that Orange and Wanadoo are considering merging their businesses in the UK following talks last year.
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