Ericsson Leads Future Network Evolution in Partnership With Orange France

Ericsson announced that it is spearheading a series of pioneering trials to push the boundaries of 5G network capabilities. In partnership with Orange France, Ericsson is conducting a focused program of experimental trials, based on Ericsson’s market-leading radio access network solutions and innovation platforms, to prepare for future RAN evolutions. Leveraging its extensive portfolio, Ericsson aims to enhance spectral efficiency, accelerate network automation, and promote sustainability across mobile networks, while Orange France evaluates these technologies under live network conditions in France to prepare its future RAN roadmap and bring greater network automation to millions of Orange France customers.

With 5G traffic accelerating and new use cases emerging, Orange France is partnering with Ericsson to experiment innovative approaches and strategies for managing intensive network usage with the minimum environmental impact. As part of these trials, Orange is piloting Ericsson’s innovative FDD Massive MIMO antenna-integrated radios, aiming to optimize the use of existing spectral assets in zones with high-traffic demand. Multiple deployment configurations are being tested in France to precisely adapt to various traffic profiles and maximize spectral efficiency, capacity and user experience.

Complementing these hardware innovations, and as part of its broader Net Zero strategy, Orange is also exploring in close collaboration with Ericsson, advanced software solutions and cutting-edge 5G functionalities to further enhance energy efficiency across its mobile networks. 

These advanced capabilities, powered by service-aware, intent-driven automation and AI, represent a major leap forward in intelligent energy management. By dynamically adapting network resources to real-time traffic demands, the new software innovations reduce energy consumption without compromising performance level or user experience.

Pursuing open, cloud-native networks, Orange and Ericsson have also launched a two-year trial to explore Cloud RAN and Open RAN architecture. By virtualizing RAN functions, Cloud RAN solutions enable flexible, software-centric networks that reduce time-to-market and support innovation. A notable milestone has already been reached with the recent completion of Orange’s first successful call over Ericsson’s Cloud RAN platform, in Paris region in France, marking a key step forward in RAN evolution. Orange France’s participation as an experimental partner provides valuable insights into live performance and integration challenges, which are essential for the development of next-generation networks.

Building on this momentum, to further drive network automation, Orange is also field-trialing the Ericsson Intelligent Automation Platform (EIAP) with AI-powered Ericsson rApps (RAN automation applications). The EIAP is Ericsson’s network management and automation platform for open, multi-vendor and multi-technology networks which incorporates key elements of the Open RAN Service Management and Orchestration framework. Through the platform, and the linked EIAP ecosystem with its range of assets, services and infrastructure, Orange aims to accelerate the adoption of programmable, efficient networks for advanced performance optimization.

Emmanuel Lugagne Delpon, CTO Networks, Orange France, says: "Our strategic partnership with Ericsson is accelerating our journey towards enhanced networks for our customers. By leveraging breakthrough spectrum, sustainable technologies, and cloud-native solutions, Orange is working to advance its autonomous networks journey and deliver the best 5G experience."

Christian Leon, CEO, Ericsson France, says: "Collaborating with Orange on these pioneering trials demonstrates our shared ambition to shaping the networks of the future. By uniting Ericsson’s innovation capabilities with Orange’s ambition, we are raising the bar for performance, sustainability, and openness in mobile networks."

Through these groundbreaking collaborative initiatives, Ericsson continues to support Orange to drive 5G advancements while laying out the blueprint for the networks of the future, developing France’s and Europe’s leadership in enhanced connectivity.

Source: Ericsson media announcement