Orange has unveiled plans to offer richer connectivity and to continue to modernise its infrastructure as part of its Essential2020 strategy.
Among its strategy, Orange aims to triple average data speeds compared to 2014 on both fixed and mobile networks by the end of 2018.
In terms of expanding its high-capacity fixed service, in France Orange will triple its investments in fibre by 2020 and increase the number of connected homes from 3.6 million at the end of 2014 to 12 million in 2018 and to 20 million in 2022.
In Spain, the Group will continue to expand its fibre network and its TV offering with the aim of doubling convergent revenues by 2018. The proposal to acquire Jazztel, which is currently being examined by the European Commission, will enable the Group to reinforce and accelerate this strategy that aims to reach 10 million connectable homes by the end of 2016.
In Poland, Orange started 2015 with an ambitious plan to deploy its own fibre network that aims to reinforce its position as the incumbent operator and market leader in terms of fixed line access and convergence.
In Belgium, a market characterised by strong cable coverage, Orange will test the use of this technology through the launch of a TV offering in 2015 that will be significantly different from existing market offerings.
Orange will also continue to modernise its infrastructure with the aim of ensuring the Group has a cutting-edge network armed with the necessary flexibility and agility that will allow it to respond rapidly to customers’ needs. The Group will drive the evolution of its network towards all-IP, the cloud and the virtualisation of network functions, as well as preparing for the introduction of 5G.
The Group will build on the quality of its networks, particularly in very high-speed broadband, to develop uses and deliver what the customer wants by offering a multi-screen experience with richer content. This is already the case with the Group’s new TV interface, Polaris.
Thanks to the TV stick, which was recently launched in Romania and will soon be introduced to the French market – Orange customers can access Orange TV and related content at home simply by connecting the HDMI stick to their television sets.
The ‘Internet of Things’ will also open up a number of business and positioning opportunities.
The Group wants to be present across the entire value chain, by object type:
The distribution of connected objects
The supply of services that add value to those objects, particularly in the health and wellbeing field or in the connected home field
The management of data related to connected objects through an open intermediation platform
With more than 10,000 customers, the success of the Homelive offer in France provides encouragement for the Group to continue in this direction and to expand its services further in its different European markets from 2015 onwards.
