In fact, 72% of companies are expecting their operator to help navigate their transition to 5G, specifically providing support around testing and development.
The figure was published by Orange following a study with GlobalWebIndex and in response, the operator is opening a network of Orange 5G Labs across its native France and primary European markets.
“We believe that 5G will drive business competition and regional development," said Michäel Trabbia, the group's chief technology and innovation officer.
"This is why Orange is involved in a co-innovation approach focused on 5G to create the uses of the future. Having a local presence close to these players is a key part of the Orange 5G Labs initiative, to support the digital transformation of economic players and to help everyone take advantage of 5G’s potential,” Trabbia added.
The labs' locations have been selected according to the needs of local authorities and companies, including start-ups, SMEs and corporates, across all sectors.
Seven labs will be opened in France, starting yesterday, 3 Feb, with the Châtillon, Paris, lab. Others will be located in Lille, Lyon-Charbonnières, Marseille, Paris-La Défense, Rennes and Toulouse, all will a different specialisation.
For example, the Lyon lab, located at the Campus Région du Numérique at Charbonnières-les-Bains, will be focused on Industry 4.0, and the Cœur Défense site in the Customer Innovation Centre will be more focused on Orange Business Services’ major clients. However, they will not be devoted exclusively to these areas.
Europe-wide
Over the first half of 2021, the initiative will be rolled out to other European countries where Orange is present.
In Bucharest, Romania, a 5G Lab will open in partnership with the University Politehnica of Bucharest to foster the development of commercial projects, research and innovation. In Belgium, a lab will be located near the Orange Industry 4.0 campus in the Port of Antwerp and here different use cases that have already been developed in collaboration with industrial partners in the port will be demonstrated, such as the augmented worker or critical communication systems.
In addition, a 5G challenge for start-ups and developers will launch in Spain at the end of February to spur the development of new applications there. The winners will be supported by the Orange 5G Lab initiative, providing them with access to experts and 5G equipment in neighbouring France.
In addition to the 5G environment, edge computing functionalities will be provided in some Orange 5G Labs to test services requiring a shorter response time.
All participating companies will be supported by specialists from Orange's technical, network and product departments. Further, the physical centres will be supported with online resources hosted at 5glab.orange.com, which will include " a series of thematic and educational webinars".
