The Corps des télécommunications (Corps of Telecommunications) was a French Technical " grand corps de l'Etat". It is formed of the State Engineers of the Telecommunications. It is interministerial (not attached to any specific Ministry or Department within the administration) as its members are employed by a large number of Ministries. Their activities reach well beyond the traditional telecom sector, ranging from information technology management to conducting various public policies. Many executive positions in France's telecoms and IT industry are held by State Engineers of the Telecommunications.

History

The Corps of Telecommunications was created in 1967. It was formerly known as the Corps of Telegraphs, created in 1902.La Jaune et la Rouge, janvier 2011, Les cent sept ans du corps des Télécommunications (1902 - 2009)
/ref> Following the

Decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used f ...

(executive order) 2009-63 signed January 16, 2009, related to the specific statute of the engineers of Mines, the "corps des télécommunications" was merged with the " corps of mines".

Admission and training

People entering the Corps are educated at the École nationale supérieure des télécommunications. Most of them are from

École polytechnique École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern Franc ...

; these are known as X-Telecom; the rest come from

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education sca ...

, regular curriculum of the École nationale supérieure des télécommunications or via internal promotion. Around 25 students are admitted yearly in the Corps of Telecommunications.

Positions held

Members of the Corps of Telecommunication work both in the French administration and in the private sector. There are about 1100 engineers currently in activity. A third is employed within the French Administration ou public services, a third in the France Telecom / Orange group and a third in other private companies. Examples of employers in France include : * French administration Departments, attached to Ministries (especially Economy & Finance, Defense, Homeland Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Relations with the European Union, Agriculture, Maritime Affairs, etc.) * National regulation authorities ( ARCEP for telecoms and postal services,

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

for broadcasting, CNIL for protection of privacy in IT, etc.) * Public research institutes and labs ( INRIA,

Institut Télécom An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...

, CNRS, etc.) * Public Broadcasting ( France Télévision, RFO,

Radio France Radio France is the French national public radio broadcaster. Stations Radio France offers seven national networks: * France Inter — Radio France's " generalist" station, featuring entertaining and informative talk mixed with a wide variety o ...

, La Chaîne parlementaire, etc.) * Private Telecom operators ( France Télécom / Orange, the former public monopole, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, etc.) * IT manufacturers and service providers (

Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel–Lucent S.A. () was a French–American global telecommunications equipment company, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of France-based Alcatel and U.S.-based Lucent, the latter being a su ...

, Nortel,

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species '' Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, incl ...

, Cap Gemini, Thomson,

Comverse Comverse Technology, Inc., often referred to as simply Comverse, was a technology company located in Woodbury, New York in the United States, that developed and marketed telecommunications software. The company focused on providing value-added ...

, etc.) Between 5 and 10% of State Engineers of Telecommunications have set up their own venture or are entrepreneurs. Apart from the IT and telecom sectors, some engineers are also employed in the bank (including the national Banque de France cooperating within the

European Central Bank The European Central Bank (ECB) is the prime component of the monetary Eurosystem and the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) as well as one of seven institutions of the European Union. It is one of the world's most important centra ...

) and finance industries for instance.

Current or former members (examples)

Didier Lombard Didier Lombard (born 27 February 1942) is a French businessman. Between February 2005 and March 2010 he was chairman and CEO of France Télécom. In 2010 he resigned as CEO, retaining the chairmanship. Since 2012, he has been under indictment fo ...

, CEO of France Télécom ( Orange) *

Jean-Bernard Levy Jean-Bernard is a French masculine given name. It may refer to : * Jean-Bernard Gauthier de Murnan (1748–1796), a French officer for the Continental Army * Jean-Bernard Knepper (1638–1698), a Luxembourg advocat and notary * Jean-Bernard Ndongo E ...

, CEO of Vivendi * Michel Combes, previous CEO Europe Region of

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...

, CEO of

Pascale Sourisse Pascale Sourisse (born 7 March 1962) is a French businesswoman. Born in Nantes, Pascale Sourisse graduated from the École Polytechnique (class of 1981) and Télécom ParisTech. She held management positions at the Compagnie Générale des Ea ...

, deputy CEO of

Thales Group Thales Group () is a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures electrical systems as well as devices and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors. The company is headquartered in Paris ...

References

External links