By Anne Morris
Orange aims for AI maturity by 2025
Orange SVP for data and AI Steve Jarrett conceded that the operator is a little behind some of its telco “co-opetitors” in the adoption of AI, but insists that stellar work is being done in order to achieve AI maturity.
The operator now expects to achieve “level 4” or even the ultimate “level 5” based on the TM Forum’s Digital Maturity Model across its entire footprint by 2025, Jarrett said.
Data and AI form one of the main pillars of the Orange “Engage 2025” strategic programme. According to Jarrett, 5G and AI, along with other emerging technologies, “will boost many new opportunities and use cases in various domains”.
“I believe that many new generations of technologies and business ecosystems will lean on AI and 5G for smarter and real-time interactions such as autonomous vehicles and drones, smart factories and autonomous robots, advanced healthcare, immersive entertainment or even the metaverse,” he said.
Orange’s underlying goal is to implement what Jarrett describes as “responsible, sustainable data and AI throughout all of our use cases” in three key domains: smarter networks, improved customer experience, and greater operational efficiency.
“Smarter network” projects include network planning tools, which Jarrett said have demonstrated “significant capex savings in Spain and the Ivory Coast”.
“We also work on projects to reinvent the customer experience, such as bots for customer and user assistance and support,” Jarrett added. “To improve our operational efficiency, we are working on AI-based fraud detection solutions across our networks, but also across our other services such as Orange Money. Other projects include: bots for field technician assistance, AI-based energy savings or game theory-based pricing strategies.”