Orange CEO Christel Heydemann (pictured) claimed the company had shown resilience in the face of a inflation-dominated macroeconomic environment in the third quarter of 2022, as it returned to growth in Spain for the first time since 2019.

In an earnings statement, Heydemann said it results demonstrated “the complementary nature of its different markets”. Q3 group revenue was up a modest 1 per cent to €10.8 billion “largely thanks to the contribution of its European countries and Africa”.

In total, revenue in Europe rose 3.2 per cent to €2.8 billion driven by retail services, with solid momentum across of its countries in the region.

That also included Spain, a market where Orange has faced issues in recent times. Orange hailed a process of simplification and the stabilisation of its client base which “enabled us to reverse the negative trend of the last years” and return to growth for the first time since Q1 2019.

Its business in Africa also performed well, with revenue rising 4.2 per cent to reach €1.8 billion, “despite the geopolitical context which weighed” on the west of the continent.

The picture was however not completely rosy. The operator noted struggles in its enterprise segment as revenue remained flat at €1.9 billion, with pressure on margins remaining intense and it continued to concentrate efforts of transforming business models. Wholesale revenue also dipped 5.3 per cent.

In total, Orange finished the quarter with 240.4 million mobile accesses, a 6.1 per cent increase, while convergent customers of 11.6 million was flat.

Regarding its full-year outlook, Orange confirmed its financial targets for 2022, and also confirmed a dividend pay-out in December.

Heydemann added the company would present a strategic plan for the period to 2030 in February 2023.