Orange: Putting the edge in cutting-edge connectivity services with Google Cloud
About Orange
Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunication operators. With around 140,000 employees, Orange operates in 26 countries and serves 220 countries with B2B services. The company also offers financial and wholesale operator services.
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Contact usOrange and Google Cloud team up to create an Anthos-powered innovation lab, deploying customized edge computing and 5G solutions that meet customer needs for low latency and high security.
Google Cloud results
- Meets customer needs with high-speed and low-latency services, going below 10 milliseconds with Anthos-enabled customer edge
- Accelerates business growth by working closely with Google Cloud to onboard new independent software vendors
- Speeds up innovation by deploying new proofs of concept quickly with Anthos
- Gains operational efficiency, dividing time spent on deploying new use cases by a third with Google Cloud automation features
<10 days to deploy a proof of concept with Anthos
Reliable communication is the backbone of the globalized world. It affects the way we connect with each other and conduct business on a daily basis. For those who wield it, this power of connection comes with great responsibility. This is why Orange strives to give everyone the keys to a responsible digital world.
With revenues of €42.5 billion in 2021 and close to 140,000 employees around the globe, Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunication operators. Beyond serving 271 million customers with mobile and internet services, Orange is also a leading provider of global IT and telecommunication solutions for multinational companies, with its Orange Business Services (OBS) division. In addition, Orange’s Wholesale and International Networks Division offers IP transit, CDN, as well as voice and messaging services to telecom operators, content providers, and internet service providers.
"Combining the strength of Orange’s networks with the platform solutions of Google Cloud will help us to become a more engaged and committed leader in the telecommunications space. By bringing our assets together, we can reinvent our customer experience, accelerate the development of innovative IT services, and scale up cybersecurity."
—Gwenaelle Delsart, Program Director of the Edge Computing, Smart Content Delivery Program at Orange InnovationBringing Orange’s services to the edge
All these services generate massive volumes of data, straining the bandwidth of even the best networks. The solution to this problem involves processing data closer to where it’s being consumed or generated, on the so-called 'edge' of the internet. That’s why Orange teamed up with Google Cloud to explore the possibilities of edge computing on Orange Networks.
"Combining the strength of Orange’s networks with the platform solutions of Google Cloud will help us to become a more engaged and committed leader in the telecommunications space," says Gwenaelle Delsart, Program Director of the Edge Computing, Smart Content Delivery Program at Orange Innovation. "By bringing our assets together, we can reinvent our customer experience, accelerate the development of innovative IT services, and scale up cybersecurity. In addition, our sustainability objectives are fully aligned, and sustainable Google Cloud technology will support our net-zero carbon goal for 2040."
In September 2021, Orange launched its new Edge Computing Lab on the Orange innovation campus near Paris. This Edge Computing Lab, which runs on Anthos technology powered by Google Cloud, enables businesses to develop and test new edge services, benefiting from 5G connectivity. It will help Orange to deliver cutting-edge solutions for the B2B, B2C, and wholesale markets. This is a goal Orange and Google Cloud are working towards in close cooperation.
Teaming up with Google Cloud for tech and business synergies
"We have an excellent day-to-day collaboration with Google Cloud on many levels," says Carine Mansour, Director Edge Computing and CDN program at Orange Wholesale and International Networks. "It includes both technical training in cloud technologies, as well as joint business development work, such as pitching the benefits of edge computing, and collaborating with new independent software vendors (ISVs) to develop new use cases and address customer needs."
In order to address new use cases with edge computing, Orange needs to find the right applications from ISVs. "Once we identify a new ISV we’d like to work with, we work side-by-side with Google Cloud and the ISV to get its applications up and running on the Edge Computing Lab," says Frank de Jong, Program Director Edge Computing at Orange Business Services. "Google Cloud expertise is crucial to help these ISVs get their applications ready for the edge infrastructure."
Accelerating innovation with quickly deployed proofs of concept
In addition to the tests at the Orange Edge Computing Lab, proof of concepts can be set up with ISVs and deployed on specific points of presence of the commercial network – in two French cities for now, Marseille and Lille. Across the B2C, B2B, and wholesale verticals, there are numerous possible use cases for these innovative cloud applications, which combine products and services from Orange and Google Cloud. These use cases are broadly divided into two categories: customer edge solutions, which are deployed on customer premises with Google Cloud infrastructure, and network edge solutions, where the Google edge cloud is deployed on Orange Network data centers close to the customers.
"Network edge solutions can reduce latency and improve quality and security, which is why they are really useful for example as gaming solutions, VR applications, or immersive experiences, such as 360° videos or new developments we may see in the future" says Mansour. "Anthos enables many disruptive and innovative use cases that need to process data closer to the user while also reducing the impact on network capacity and improve quality."
Privacy is another priority for Orange and its customers. By processing personal information in closer proximity to the user, edge computing can strengthen data privacy standards. "Our customers want to know and control where their data is going, so it’s more important than ever to enforce strict data privacy guidelines," says Delsart. "With Google Cloud, we have a high level of security out-of-the-box, and can further ensure data privacy with edge computing."
"Current inspection systems on production lines are good at detecting along clear, predefined criteria. The Visual Inspection AI-based feature we’re developing, which leverages edge computing to run the model and Google Cloud to train the model, detects multiple subtle packaging deficiencies at the same time, right on the production line."
—Frank de Jong, Program Director Edge Computing at Orange Business ServicesCreating the building blocks of the 5G future
Innovations are just as plentiful on the B2B side, where customer edge solutions are particularly useful. De Jong and his team, for example, are now working with a customer to develop a visual inspection solution that automatically detects blemishes in packaging. The use of edge computing ensures data privacy and enables bandwidth optimization and real time analytics. "Current inspection systems on production lines are good at detecting along clear, predefined criteria," says De Jong. "The Visual Inspection AI-based feature we’re developing, which leverages edge computing to run the model and Google Cloud to train the model, detects multiple subtle packaging deficiencies at the same time, right on the production line."
The visual inspection feature is one idea among many, and for De Jong, it marks the beginning of what’s possible on the edge. While Orange is already eyeing commercial launches for its edge lab innovations, its proofs of concept are also helping the team create the building blocks for the solutions to come. "We’re building blueprints and building blocks in different colors, shapes, and sizes," explains De Jong. "If customers come to us with an idea for an edge solution, they can either use our blueprints or get the building blocks and create something themselves. And, if they need to add specific Google Cloud features, such as AI or ML capabilities, they can pick and choose those too."
High automation, low latency
For now, Orange’s priority is to build out a mature edge infrastructure, serving its customers with high levels of automation and low latency. When the team first deployed an edge use case, they didn’t leverage the automation tools Google Cloud has to offer. "Once we started using some of the in-built automation features of Google Cloud, we were able to reduce our time to deploy a new use case by a third," says Delsart. "We can onboard several applications at once, which means that we’re saving a lot of time on the operational side and we can focus on more value-added tasks that benefit our customers."
And, on latency the Orange team is working towards drastically undercutting the standard mobile latency. "Our goal is to be in the 10 milliseconds latency range for network edge, and on the Anthos-enabled customer edge we should be able to go lower," says Mansour. "This will be crucial for certain applications, particularly in the gaming and augmented reality spheres, or in the Autonomous Guided Vehicles sector (AGV)."
"Working with Google Cloud is a great opportunity to learn as a team, and explore the opportunities in this space by combining our assets. Together, we’re building solutions that meet the growing consumer and enterprise requirements for latency, speed, and security."
—Carine Mansour, Director Edge Computing and CDN program at Orange Wholesale and International NetworksDriving the next generation of connectivity services
The edge is here to stay, and together, Orange and Google Cloud are paving the way for the next generation of cloud services. "Working with Google Cloud is a great opportunity to learn as a team, and explore the opportunities in this space by combining our assets," says Mansour. "Together, we’re building solutions that meet the growing consumer and enterprise requirements for latency, speed, and security."
Tell us your challenge. We're here to help.
Contact us
About Orange
Orange is one of the world's leading telecommunication operators. With around 140,000 employees, Orange operates in 26 countries and serves 220 countries with B2B services. The company also offers financial and wholesale operator services.