innovation

Didier Lombard
France Telecom-Orange CEO
“A long-term vision is vital for all innovations. Some of them, such as mobile telephony, voice over IP and Internet TV, have profoundly changed the business model of the telecom industry… Orange must always be attentive to and understand all the phenomena at work in the area of innovation. That’s why we have Orange Labs throughout the world, even in countries where Orange is not an operator. They allow us to spot innovations at the source, then facilitate and develop them for our clients at an increasingly fast pace. And, because we must also be attentive to and at the service of our users, simplicity is our watchword when it comes to our innovation DNA...”


The Orange Labs make up the France Telecom-Orange Group’s global innovation network. Created in 2006, they group together 5,000 employees (researchers, marketing experts, engineers). Each Orange Lab is integrated into its own regional ecosystem in order to anticipate technological advances and changes in uses around the world, delivering products and services that are easy to use at the right time and in the right country.
R&D represents the main source of innovation for the Group, with more than 8,500 patents in its portfolio and a presence spanning four continents. Its ambition is to supply the innovation pipeline for the next two years with strong value-added subjects, as well as to anticipate longer-term issues (5-6 years).
The Technocentre is shortening the time needed to move from a concept to its release on the market. It groups together around 30 “3P” (three-person) teams: overseen by a marketing expert, a researcher and a network engineer join forces to select, design, produce and release innovative products and services on the market.
Orange Vallée is a fast-track development unit focused on growing markets. It works with the Orange Labs, based on a startup approach, in order to respond very quickly to market requirements.

This system is completed by strategic partnerships with leading telecoms players and an open approach to the most innovative startups on the market