Orange is expanding its 5G Labs initiative, which aims to offer industry and economic players a range of tools and facilities to test, experiment with and develop new 5G use cases. In France, the operator will have a network of seven 5G laboratories, including one in Chatillon (Paris region) that is already operational. Planned for later this year, the other six will be located in Lille, Rennes, Paris (La Defense business district), Toulouse, Marseille, and Charbonnieres les Bains (near Lyon), where the Orange 5G lab will be based at the 'Region du Numerique' academic campus.
Looking at the rest of Europe, a new 5G lab is planned in Romania's capital Bucarest, in partnership with the city's University Politehnica. This facility will join those already open in Madrid (Challenge 5G) and in Belgium, located in the port of Antwerp.
The main objective of the 5G Lab initiative is to establish a presence close to the companies and local authorities operating in the region, regardless of their sector. Some of the sites will provide edge computing capabilities and some will focus on specific fields. For example, the lab near Lyon opening in March will specialise in Industry 4.0 use cases.
Orange also said that a 5G challenge for start-ups and developers will start in Spain at the end of February to look for new applications, with the winners gaining access to the experts and equipment within the Orange 5G Lab initiative.
