Our lives have been transformed as a result of network access. Most people around the world have mobile coverage, and half are now online. This revolution is made possible by high-tech telecommunications networks, whether undersea or up in space, that help us to exchange ever more information, faster and more easily. Managing them has always been Orange’s core business.
What is the role of a network operator?
Making a phone call. Sending an email. Watching a video. Liking a post. Gaming or shopping online. Joining a remote video meeting. At home, at work or on the move… all of these things are such a natural part of our everyday lives that we no longer even question how they’re made possible. This apparent simplicity, however, conceals the complex role of operators such as Orange. They are constantly designing, deploying, operating, maintaining and modernising the multiple infrastructures necessary to support our communications and transport our data from one end of the world to the other. The aim is to do so in the most fluid, fast and secure way possible.
A global network leader
Orange is one of the main global telecommunications network operators offering connectivity services to individuals, businesses and operators (telecom operators, internet players and content providers). We use our own infrastructure and employ millions of kilometres of optical fibre and copper cables, hundreds of thousands of items of equipment, tens of thousands of antennas and, to manage it all, thousands of technical sites and data centres.
We offer mobile network access in 26 countries in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, while our business IP networks cover most 200 countries and territories worldwide. We also contribute to the ‘information superhighway’ through a vast international carrier network and 450,000 kilometres of submarine cables, which we operate on our own or with partners.
To make digital technology accessible to all, we promote connectivity for everyone via secure, high-performance and responsible networks.
Networks, central to our strategy
Networks are the cornerstone of our innovation and a core pillar of our strategy. Around 34,000 Orange employees around the world are dedicated to their design, deployment, supervision, maintenance and modernisation. Each year we apportion almost two thirds of our investments to networks (excluding the purchase of frequency licences) to offer our customers the best possible coverage and speed.
Result: we are now the european leader in very-high-speed broadband with more than 75 million homes connectable to optical fibre around the world at the end of 2023.
Find out more about broadband connectivity in France.
- Broadband coverage map (in french)
- 4G and 5G coverage map (in french)
- Orange extends its range of superfast broadband connectivity solutions. The new "Orange Satellite with Nordnet" offer launched on November 16, 2023, enables customers in mainland France to benefit from superfast broadband, wherever they are.
Reinventing our operator model, a key strategic ambition
We have placed networks firmly at the heart of our strategic plan. Our objective is to reinvent our operator model by offering increased and responsible connectivity to individual customers, companies and operators, while strengthening our leadership through more open, optimised and higher-valued infrastructures.
How AI drives Orange’s network innovation
As the need for connectivity and value-based services increases, our telecoms networks become all the more important to support them. It’s also where we’re making the greatest gains in performance and innovation, with AI playing a fundamental role in our ability to maintain an excellent and scalable service.
We also use AI in our network planning and investment choices, automating operational tasks, and making our ways of working more efficient. It’s all part of a virtuous circle where AI drives networks and networks enhance AI.
TOTEM: Orange’s TowerCo for latest-generation mobile connectivity
Evolving mobile uses and increasing connectivity needs lead operators to constantly look for new sites to host masts and provide mobile connectivity to customers. As an independent subsidiary 100% owned by Orange, TOTEM has taken advantage of this opportunity to enhance the Group’s existing mobile networks and deploy shared infrastructure to meet operators’ growing connectivity needs. Responding to complex technical and real estate challenges, these investments offer shared hosting while minimizing management costs, environmental issues, and visual impacts.
