In Africa, actors are implementing plans to prepare the telecom market for the advent of mobile broadband. From field tests to dedicated spaces, operators are multiplying actions to raise awareness of the challenges and opportunities of that technology. 

Mobile operator Orange Côte d'Ivoire inaugurated, Tuesday (September 20), its first 5G Lab. The space dedicated to the discovery and experimentation of mobile broadband technology was officially opened in the presence of Christel Heydemann,  CEO of Orange Group. 

The 5G Lab, hosted at the Deux Plateaux Smart Store in Cocody, is dedicated to businesses, startups, and digital professionals. According to Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa (OMEA), "like the Orange Digital Center inaugurated a year ago, the Orange 5G Lab will help accelerate businesses’ adoption of this technology in Côte d'Ivoire. Not only will they benefit from the expertise and tools set up here in Abidjan, but they will also have access to feedback from the more than 1,500 companies and local authorities that have had access to an Orange 5G Lab worldwide, including 127 that have already designed experiments based on their respective practical cases.”  

The lab will host a space for demonstrations of 5G use cases in various business sectors. It will also host conferences, training, co-working, co-innovation sessions, and practical 5G application sessions.

Orange 5G Lab Côte d'Ivoire is the second similar infrastructure launched by the French telecom group in Africa (and the fifteenth it launched worldwide). The first one was launched in Senegal in July 2022. It is a way to prepare the local market for the ultra-high-speed broadband that Orange Côte d'Ivoire wants to launch in 2023. Currently, twelve telecom operators already offer 5G in ten African countries.

"We are aware that 5G is a new opportunity for companies wishing to diversify, optimize or boost their business. To support them, it is essential that this space offers turnkey tools and allows for practical evaluation of the results of these experiments. This initiative is in line with our historical commitment to digital inclusion. Our aim is to encourage innovation and contribute to value creation in the local ecosystem," said Mamadou Bamba, CEO of Orange Côte d'Ivoire.

Muriel Edjo