Orange pioneers multi-cloud 5G SA network for smart factories and beyond

Orange pioneers multi-cloud 5G SA network for smart factories and beyond

(IN BRIEF) Orange has achieved a major milestone in its journey towards software and data-based, fully-automated networks with its experimental multi-cloud network named Pikeo. This experimental network, which is the first of its kind in Europe, has successfully run over two locations in France and is currently being used by internal employees. Orange’s software and data-based telco vision will transform its activities, shaping how it builds, deploys, and operates its future networks. Automation, disaggregation, cloud, data/AI will all play a key role on this journey delivering networks that will operate much faster. The successful implementation and operation of this greenfield network for more than one year has provided Orange with invaluable experience and knowledge on the automation of cloud-native 5G SA networks. Furthermore, this experience has allowed Orange to demonstrate the growing maturity of Open RAN technologies, paving the way for field deployments in the coming years.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 28-Feb-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Orange S.A. (EPA: ORA), a French multinational telecommunications group, has announced a significant breakthrough in its journey towards software and data-based, fully-automated networks. The company has successfully completed its end-to-end cloud-native 5G SA experimental multi-cloud network, called Pikeo, which represents a key stage in its preparation for future networks. This experimental network, the first of its kind in Europe, was launched in June 2021 and has been used by internal employees over two locations in France. Orange is planning to extend the trial to a third site in Spain soon.

The Pikeo 5G SA network is multi-cloud and can be deployed on Orange Telco Cloud infrastructure or on AWS, using a hybrid architecture. Deploying 5G private networks on powerful cloud environments creates new opportunities for cases like smart factories, removing boundaries between network connectivity and digital applications.

Orange’s software and data-based telco vision will transform its activities, shaping how it builds, deploys, and operates its future networks. Automation, disaggregation, cloud, data/AI will all play a key role on this journey delivering networks that will operate much faster, for example, deployment 300 times faster; detection of anomalies, 100 times faster; and immediate security updates, when required.

The successful implementation and operation of this greenfield network for more than one year has provided Orange with invaluable experience and knowledge on the automation of cloud-native 5G SA networks. The experiment also developed Orange’s know-how in integrating technologies from various partners, including Dell Technologies, AWS, Casa Systems, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Amdocs, Arista, Mavenir, and Xiaomi.

Furthermore, this experience has allowed Orange to demonstrate the growing maturity of Open RAN technologies, paving the way for field deployments in the coming years. For instance, the recent announcement of the first commercial sites to be deployed in a rural area in Romania this year shows Orange’s confidence that Open RAN is now ready for initial deployments on operational networks.

Orange is committed to leveraging automation and artificial intelligence in its networks to offer faster and more efficient services to its customers. With its latest milestone, the company is well on track to realizing its vision for the future of telecommunications.

Orange’s experimental network has shown the potential of automation and artificial intelligence to revolutionize the telecommunications industry. The network was able to automatically redeploy its 5G core and RAN in under an hour, a significant improvement over the days or weeks it would take on a legacy network. The network also demonstrated faster automated anomaly detection, with teams having access to a dashboard that leverages AI to identify anomalies and their root cause. Additionally, the network was able to optimize energy consumption by automatically switching off the 5G private network of a facility during off-hours. Orange also successfully implemented a zero-trust security model, integrating identity and access management with automated vulnerability detection and SIEM integration. In collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Orange has also demonstrated the feasibility of running network functions over a public cloud, using a Zero Trust security model and on-demand use of AWS resources to optimize energy efficiency. The trial will continue in 2023 to further investigate automation through AI and evaluate potential use cases.

Laurent Leboucher, Orange Group CTO and SVP Orange Innovation Networks, says: “We are proud to showcase the benefits of a fully automated cloud native multi-cloud 5G SA network at this year’s Mobile World Congress. The experience gained from the Pikeo project and the expertise of Orange teams will be leveraged in the new Mobile Private Network cloud experimental offer launched by Orange Business. As Orange seeks to fulfil its ambition to become the telecom reference for resilient, green, software and data-based networks, the results of this trial to date mark a major milestone in achieving this.”

Orange, in collaboration with its key partners HPE, Casa Systems, and AWS, will be presenting two examples of its implementation at MWC 2023. The first will be a showcase of a 5G mobile private network on the AWS stand, dedicated to the distribution broadcast of high-quality video for sports events. The second will be a demonstration of end-to-end orchestration of 5G slicing, including automated anomaly detection and self-repair, on the HPE stand. These demonstrations will highlight Orange’s advancements in leveraging cloud-native 5G SA networks and its commitment to transforming its activities to shape the future of networks.

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SOURCE: ORANGE