ORANGE is one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators with annual sales of 43.5 billion euros and has 170,000 employees worldwide at 31 December 2012, including 105,000 employees in France. Present in 32 countries, the Group has a total customer base close to 231 million customers at 31 December 2012, including 172 million mobile customers and 15 million broadband internet (ADSL, fibre) customers worldwide. ORANGE is one of the main European operators for mobile and broadband internet services and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
Research and innovation is a strategic priority for the Group as it is the key that unlocks our future growth and a powerful differentiator with our competitors. The Group’s research and innovation chain in a few figures: more than 5,000 researchers, engineers, technicians, designers and marketers; a presence in 12 countries, over four continents (China, Egypt, France, India, Côte d’Ivoire, Japan, Jordan, Poland, Romania, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and the United States), through the Orange Labs, the Technocentre and Orange Silicon Valley; 812 million Euros devoted to research and innovation in 2012, that is to say 1.9% of the Group’s revenue; 7,493 patents in our portfolio, including 291 patent applications registered in 2012.
Within the worldwide network, the Orange Labs carry out the Group’s research, technical design and deployment activities. Each Lab is part of a specific geographic ecosystem. It works together with local universities, labs and companies, as well as with international organisations and participates in collaborative projects.
In constant interaction with the industrial and academic worlds, the Orange Labs:
- Will carry out research projects with two goals: to help the Group identify and prepare for the next breakthrough technologies, and to invent new uses and services concepts;
- Will lead the Group’s networks strategy and coordinates the Group’s standardization strategy, by looking ahead to the next breakthrough technologies, assessing the impact of new products and services, and preparing for changes in network operating models;
- Will have overall responsibility for the technology used in the Group’s products and services. They are involved throughout the entire development process, from the design of innovative services to the maintenance of systems already installed in each country where the Group operates.
The Orange Labs are set up in 9 countries (China, Egypt, France, India, Japan, Poland, Romania, Tunisia and the United Kingdom).