“When no one knows for sure what the standard is, we’re the ones who find a match”

Orange Wholesale’s “Large Projects” team introduced a unique concept: effectively marketing the impossible. When it’s never been done before, when it’s cross-border cable or satellite, or both, involving unorthodox engineering choices, they’re the ones who know exactly where to tap into Orange’s wealth of expertise and resources. Let’s meet those who make it happen.

“The magic of Large Projects is all about identifying resources and finding out how we can use them for specific, non-standard requirements”

François-Xavier Schaeken-Willemaers
VP Large Projects, Orange Wholesale International

Can you tell us how we define a "Large Project" at Orange Wholesale?

It’s mostly about large and/or complex commercial projects which are not available in our core portfolio. These are tailor-made solutions that need to be developed and implemented with Orange Wholesale and other Orange entities to meet a specific requirement. There are also projects that we’d rather label incubation, regarding the product of market segment addressed, which we don’t have in our portfolio yet.

Do you have concrete examples?

As far as submarine cables are concerned, we’re currently offering end-to-end solutions for several new projects globally throughout their lifecycle. Additionally, for connectivity, we’re deploying tailor-made secured network design for a major sporting event broadcasted internationally. We have also set up ground networks for satellite providers.

How is it possible to identify what we are actually able to produce when the customers’ needs don’t correspond to an off-the-shelf offer?

That’s what the magic of Large Projects is all about, or more precisely, the skills of our resources in terms of project management. Actually, we have a few differentiators and enablers to do so. A global network coverage with a wholesale organization leveraging the retail one. We also have the resources, assets and expertise in many different fields such as submarine cables, ships, satellite networks and ground stations. We then apply transversal project management across the organization and find out how we can use them for a specific, non-standard project.

“Local resources are involved right from the pre-sales phase if needed”

Sophie Lacoue
Large Project Director - Satellites/Distribution, Orange Wholesale International

“We build up customized ground infrastructure solutions for players of the satellite industry leveraging on Orange’s global network and expertise to better fit our customer needs. This combination allows us to work as a team in a transversal and agile mode with local resources involved right from the pre-sales phase. Additionally, the sales processes for these projects are very long and non-standard, which gives us the time to bring together all the relevant skillsets. Given the complexity of these projects, the team is constantly in support right up to the end of the effective delivery.”

“Our cable recycling services generate a profit for cable owners relative to decommissioning costs”

Ludovic Bauve
Large Projects Director - Submarine cables, Orange Wholesale International

“Regarding submarine cable projects, we provide end to end services for customers with a turnkey approach, from the design phase to the construction and marine operations, all this leveraged by our internal expertise and capabilities. We also oversee the commercial relationship with consortiums and cable owners when it comes to landing submarine cables in our facilities in Marseille, one of the biggest connectivity hub worldwide, or elsewhere on our EMEA footprint.”