The experimental trial, launching in Lannion, France, will act as a blue-print for what Orange believes will be the future of next-generation 'zero-touch' networks.
It follows a tumultuous time for network operators in the West who have poured billions into setting up new 5G infrastructure, in most cases with equipment provided from Chinese firm Huawei, and then being forced to eventually remove the Huawei-built components over espionage concerns.
Several telecom companies are now experimenting with a technology called Open Radio Access Network (RAN), which uses software to run network functions on the cloud, a feature requiring less physical equipment. It is thought it could radically cut hardware costs for the firms and Open RAN is also interoperable between them.
Orange’s experimental network will be 100 per cent software-enabled, data- and AI-driven, as well as fully automated, it said.
Orange hopes to expand the network, called Pikeo, to...