Orange hits green button on LTE-M network

Orange has unveiled its Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) network in France, with plans to launch in Spain and Romania by the end of the year.

Having launched its first LTE-M network in Belgium in May 2018, the French deployment will enable Orange to build new products and services in anticipation of boomtime in the IoT market. Technology will be deployed in each market dependent on the demand for particular services.

Orange will now begin offering services to all enterprise customers who have subscribed to the Orange full IOT offering, focusing particularly on logistical monitoring, telemonitoring, remote assistance and fleet management. The move underpins Orange’s efforts to diversify its core business, with the ‘connected economy’ high up on the list.

With France and Belgium up and running, plans to open up new networks in Spain and Romania, and other tests running throughout Europe, a pan-European offering does offer Orange an edge in the enterprise IOT game. Looking at the enterprise side of Orange, this is certainly an area which has been given attention in recent months.

Back in August, the cloud armoury was given a shot in the arm with the acquisition of  infrastructure and critical application services company Basefarm for €350 million. Alongside the additional skills, with a presence in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Austria and Germany, the pan-European ambitions are being met.