Delphine Woussen: « It’s essential to understand that the concept of “smart city” is not limited to large inner cities but also encompasses other conurbations. At Orange, we believe that a smart city, or rather a smart territory, concerns a multitude of players, ranging from metropolises to municipalities, including the suburbs and commuter towns. 
A smart territory is not just about integrating advanced technologies but a concept that’s built around the needs of its citizens. At Orange, we work with local authorities on an approach focused on resident well-being, improving urban services, and developing the region’s attractiveness. The focus is to make the city more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive through digital technology that serves the public interest. 

At the core of this urban transformation, local authorities are striving to balance technological innovation with quality of life. This is where Orange comes in, with an approach that goes far beyond infrastructure deployment.

While digital technology offers tremendous opportunities for progress, discovery, and exchange, it is not without its challenges, especially for young people. In France, 23% of children report having experienced cyberbullying. To combat this phenomenon, as well as overexposure to screens and inappropriate content, Orange launched the #ForGoodConnections initiative in 2024. The idea? To use sport as a vehicle to raise awareness among young people about good digital practices. In 2025, the initiative expanded with events in 25 countries, combining sports activities, educational workshops, and discussions with experts. The goal is simple: to help young people strike a healthy balance between their digital and real lives.

Delphine Woussen : Orange plays a key role in regional development, and we are pioneers in this field! 

We support local authorities by optimizing how urban infrastructure and services are managed, while developing tools to improve interactions with citizens. This contributes not only to the region’s attractiveness, but also its sustainability. 

We are helping local authorities transition to greener digital solutions through fiber, 5G and satellite as well as LoRa low-speed networks for the Internet of Things (IoT). 

We also offer them digital, IoT, data, AI, hosting and cyberdefense solutions, in order to respond to all business needs, whether in terms of the environment, resource optimization, mobility, security or resilience... 

Central to our value proposition is our Hexadone joint venture with La Banque des Territoires is dedicated to public policy data management and optimization. 

Orange is a trusted partner of local authorities, working alongside local decision-makers to develop the resilient, sustainable, and inclusive territories of tomorrow adapted to each community. 

Faced with environmental and financial pressures, local authorities are looking for solutions suited to their specific realities. Smart resource management and optimization of public services have become top priorities. 

Delphine Woussen : « We’re seeing several significant trends, such as the development of mobility eco-observatories and the deployment of turnkey management solutions to optimize energy consumption in public buildings. Local authorities are also focused on water and waste management. They are also facing major challenges to operate more efficiently and boost resilience to climate change impacts within a constrained budget.» Digital technology is an essential contributor to some of the solutions, especially in terms of managing and optimizing data to improve public policy.

Today, more than 50% of local authorities say they are committed to AI projects according to the Data Publica Observatory!

With the end of the deployment of the France Très Haut Débit plan, we are also seeing a significant acceleration in the market this year, especially with Departments and Mixed Syndicates pooling resources.