From the outset, it adopted a network softwareization strategy based on virtualizing network functions to enable greater flexibility, cost efficiency, and sovereignty over its network and service deployments. More than 30 telecom functions from 12 vendors were virtualized, including software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), voice, content delivery network (CDN), and roaming. The key was building a cloud-based telecom network with such broad coverage that it ensures it is within 10 milliseconds of any customer.

To accelerate its cloud transformation and the softwareization of its services, Orange has chosen to migrate its services to a cloud-native infrastructure based on Red Hat platforms. This deployment leverages Red Hat OpenShift as the foundation for cloud-native networking functions, incorporating Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization to enhance Orange's existing expertise in virtualized workloads. Furthermore, the Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform will enable fully automated deployment and scaling across its entire infrastructure. Red Hat and Orange are collaborating to create a cloud-native automation platform that is compatible with any provider. This applies to Orange's global infrastructure, reinforcing the digitization and standardization of its network services.

The new platform will host a variety of use cases, ranging from SD-WAN and SASE gateways to IMS, 4G and 5G core, IoT, and roaming services. To date, Orange has successfully deployed six new points of presence (PoPs) that are already in production on the platform.

This collaboration with Red Hat allows Orange to be more agile as a company, responding more quickly to customer needs and market opportunities. The benefits of the new platform include:

• Greater availability and operational efficiency, with improved lifecycle management and a simpler upgrade process with almost zero downtime.
• Flexibility, scalability and future-proofing thanks to a common platform that can consistently host both virtualized and containerized workloads in any environment.
• Faster time to market thanks to fully automated deployment and scaling, and zero-touch provisioning. Results include a reduced risk of human error and service deployment times four times faster.
• Enhanced resilience with infrastructure as code (IaC), which enables version control, improves change management, and allows for rapid redeployment of clusters and network functions in the event of failure.
• Enhanced security capabilities, leveraging built-in features including network and container isolation and controlled application access.
• Reduced carbon footprint due to optimized hardware configuration.

Orange is on track to expand its shared telecom cloud infrastructure, based on Red Hat OpenShift, to 75 Points of Presence (PoPs) worldwide over the next two years, migrating from its existing 50 OpenStack platforms and deploying 25 new PoPs. To help achieve its sustainability goals, Orange will be able to reuse existing equipment and leverage Red Hat OpenShift's energy consumption monitoring capabilities to reduce its carbon footprint.