Telecoms firm Orange slips on drop in French broadband customers

French telecoms operator Orange reported on Wednesday a drop in first-quarter fixed broadband customers in its home market, knocking its shares despite meeting core operating profit expectations on growth in Africa and the Middle East.

The shares were down 2.4% at 0932 GMT, compared with a 0.2% rise for Europe’s STOXX 600 index and a 0.15% increase for France’s blue-chip index CAC 40.