Marathonienne_victoire_JOP-Paris2024

Published on 12 September 2024

Paris 2024: 3 billion beating hearts, one operator

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games marked an important milestone in the history of global sporting events, with new ways to entertain and enthrall people. As the exclusive telecoms partner, we were able to share and celebrate sporting magic across the world by deploying a technical infrastructure on a scale not seen before. This brought unforgettable moments to millions of spectators, as part of a human and technical adventure to share sports data around the globe. The ability to live stream TV images as world records fell is a legacy we were proud to contribute to, so let’s recap the action as it happened.

Revolutionary organization of global sporting events

We pushed the boundaries of technology to ensure optimal connectivity during Paris 2024, driven by a passion to make every moment memorable.

Our commitment extended from building or enhancing more than 300 mobile network sites to meet increased connectivity needs to introducing major innovations such as private 5G deployed for media and “Push To Talk” technology for security teams.
One of the highlights was the Opening Ceremony, where the scale of the resources deployed, equivalent to five Stade de France events, ensured complete coverage along the Seine watched by 3 billion spectators as the excitement built before the Games. 

Deploying our expertise for Paris 2024
 
The technology we deployed goes far beyond the Games and will leave a lasting legacy. For the first time in the history of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, as an operator, we measured our carbon footprint, setting an ambitious target of 10,000 metric tons of CO2eq, i.e. the annual carbon footprint of 1,000 French people.

By putting sustainability at the heart of the Paris 2024 delivery, we minimized our ecological impact while introducing innovative infrastructure solutions as part of an eco-responsible approach. This means 70% of the infrastructure deployed will be permanent, 25% of the equipment was rented, and 75% of the equipment will be reused after the events.
 

Our substainable actions for Paris 2024

Historic innovation

Of course, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games set the stage for exceptional sporting performances. But it also meant we set new technological records, with our network delivering on the promise to support historic peaks in traffic.

During Paris 2024, 80.000 Terabytes of mobile streaming were consumed

That's the equivalent of 20 million hours of HD video, consumed during the first fortnight of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. During historic moments such as Léon Marchand’s swimming finals or Teddy Riner’s judo finals, our network recorded spikes in traffic reaching 1.87 Terabytes per second, the equivalent of 500 hours of ultra-high definition video shared every second: something we’ve never seen before.

Beyond the technical feat, this illustrates the collective achievement of our teams and the way we are able to provide connectivity no matter how big the event in the future. Always ready to take on new challenges, our teams remain committed to innovating to enable our customers to get the most out of technology, even in the busiest locations, where major events require robust connectivity to surf the web, share photos and videos on social networks, and enjoy every moment to the fullest.

Homme prenant en photo avec son smartphone un stade de Paris 2024

Seamless connectivity through 5G

The Orange 5G network, and the unique connectivity experiences it enabled, was available to all customers, both consumer and business. This strengthened infrastructure will remain in place in many venues, including tourist hotspots in Paris and other host cities, ensuring optimal connectivity for residents and visitors.

We want to make the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games a legacy of technology, innovation and new uses, with a before and an after.

Pierre-Louis de Guillebon, CEO Orange Events

The 5G Privée offer, which has revolutionized the way sports images are captured, will be available at sites capable of hosting large-scale events.

A legacy of pride and skills: the people behind Paris 2024

We were proud to support an event the size of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Beyond the technological feat lies the people – the unwavering commitment of Orange’s 1,000 employees – who demonstrated the highest level of skill and expertise across our business.  
Our technological expertise, rigorous procedures, and learning from the event will help us continue to meet various challenges during upcoming major international events. We’re ready to accept this challenge.
 

Here's more from our teams about their experiences during the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games:

There’s no doubt we all shared so many emotions during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. How breathtaking, dazzling, and revolutionary they were! Orange is so proud to have contributed to their success and the way they could be shared and enjoyed all over the world.

Christel Heydemann, CEO Orange Groupe