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The Appledore Research PodcastAuthor: Robert Curran
Appledore analysts and guests discuss trends and developments in the transformation of the telecom industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Language: en Genres: Business, Management, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Episode 58: Orange, AI and Autonomous Networks
Episode 58
Tuesday, 27 January, 2026
Talking Transformation: Navigating the AI Revolution with OrangeIn this episode of Talking Transformation, Robert Curran sits down with Olivier Simon, Head of Data and AI Initiatives at Orange, to explore the front lines of telecom’s autonomous future. With over 300 million customers across 26 countries, Orange is a global leader driving the industry toward Level 4 autonomous networks—a state of closed-loop, self-healing automation.Key Discussion Highlights:Strategic AI Implementation: Simon outlines how Orange utilizes AI across the entire network lifecycle, from optimizing multi-billion euro investments in site placement to fine-tuning thousands of radio access network (RAN) parameters.Driving Real ROI: The conversation delves into the pragmatic approach of targeting "high-cost pockets." For a group like Orange, where field services exceed €2 billion annually, even a 4–5% efficiency gain through AI and computer vision results in tens of millions of euros in savings.The Power of Digital Twins: Discover how Orange is breaking down traditional data silos. By creating digital twins, they build a unified representation of complex, multi-domain networks to automate incident management and analyze service impact in real-time.The Shifting Telecom Ecosystem: The episode examines the evolving boundaries between traditional operators, vendors (like Nokia and Ericsson), and hyperscalers (Google, AWS, Microsoft). Simon highlights how the "rules of the game" are changing as data-native companies enter the network space.Agile Innovation in the Era of GenAI: With AI technology accelerating at an unprecedented pace, Orange has shifted from long-term project cycles to pragmatic six-month cycles. This allows them to stay current with breakthroughs like Generative AI, Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), and AI agents.This episode offers insight on how this pioneering operator is balancing long-term visionary goals with immediate operational efficiency. Essential listening for industry professionals looking to understand the cultural and technical shifts required to move from traditional standardization to a fast-paced, IT-centric way of working.As the industry moves toward a "super intelligent" future, Simon provides a roadmap for staying relevant: be pragmatic, embrace open source, and prioritize short, impactful innovation cycles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
