No more searching for the wow effect at all costs, Orange intends to return to more sobriety in its R&D policy. While last year, the historic operator demonstrated the disruptive cases of 5G at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, for this 2024 edition it is focusing on its core target activities, which are the optimization of telecom networks, cybersecurity or customer experience.
At the MWC which opens this Monday, February 26, the French operator is promoting its approach of open innovation and “cloudification” of telecoms infrastructures to respond to the major challenges of the moment, starting with the rise of artificial intelligence. “ Orange continues its transformation to become a company focused on software and virtualization in Europe, Africa and the Middle East »he explains in his press kit.
The Paris Olympics, a technological showcase
To give substance to this approach, Orange is presenting its 5G Mobile Private Network (MPN) cloud technology. As its name suggests, it involves deploying private 5G networks on the fly in the cloud for players in industry, logistics or events. Already deployed at the Orange Vélodrome in Marseille, it allows live broadcasting of sporting events. A step before on-demand TV or SaaS TV.
Premium partner and official supplier of Paris 2024, Orange also intends to make the next Olympic Games a showcase of its technological know-how. The operator will deploy, “for the first time during an event of this scale », a native and unified IP architecture with 100 Gbit/s Ethernet links, high-density mobile public networks and advanced video capture using private 5G.
AI to best position antennas
Orange uses AI, and more particularly deep learning, to optimize the performance of its mobile networks in terms of coverage and throughput. To find the best location for relay antennas, an algorithmic model, called Stardust, analyzes the mobile data available on the network rather than only applying the physical laws of the propagation of radio waves.
To offer access to telecom networks to developers and cloud hyperscalers, Orange contributes to the development of application programming interfaces or APIs within the Camara open source community and the Open Gateway initiative of the group of mobile operators. GSMA.
In collaboration with two other operators in Spain, Telefonica and Vodafone, Orange has launched two new APIs – SIM Swap and Number Verification -, dedicated to the prevention and detection of fraud cases. Other APIs have been developed within Camara. The first, a geofencing API notifies the user when a mobile or connected terminal enters or leaves a monitored area. The second allows you to check if two mobiles are located in the same area.
A partnership with Cisco for the benefit of the environment
Co-innovation can respond to environmental challenges. Orange Business, the operator’s BtoB division, and Cisco have worked together to reduce the energy consumption of a videoconferencing room. Using data from present devices and sensors, the heating or lighting of the room must be adjusted according to the presence of employees and their usage behavior.
Developed by the two partners at the Orange Vélodrome stadium in Marseille, the Smart Power Delivery solution intelligently turns on Wi-Fi terminals via Power over Ethernet (PoE) – power supply via Ethernet cable – based on actual usage. This results in a potential 52% reduction in Wi-Fi power consumption.
Designed by Orange Business and marketed by Cisco, One Box combines programmable wide area network or SD-WAN (Software-Defined Wide Area Network) and access routing functionalities in the same equipment. This consolidation reduces the need for raw materials and components, while reducing energy consumption.
The last ecosystem, the one formed a year ago by Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica and Vodafone. The four European operators have launched Utiq, a new AdTech which opposes the hemogeny of digital giants in internet advertising, by emphasizing respect for consumer privacy.