(PARIS) - France Telecom said Wednesday it had carried out a two-billion-euro (3.1-billion-dollar) bond issue to help re-finance its debt.

"The group is taking advantage of a window of opportunity on the euro bond market to optimise the re-financing of its debt," the company said in a statement.

The telecommunications operator said the operation had been increased from an initial projected amount of 1.5 billion euros in response to strong investor demand.

It has issued 750 million euros' worth of six-year bonds and 1.250 billion euros in 10-year bonds.

Text and Picture Copyright 2008 AFP. All other Copyright 2008 EUbusiness Ltd. All rights reserved. This material is intended solely for personal use. Any other reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of the copyright owner is strictly forbidden and any breach of copyright will be considered actionable.