Orange is drawing on Axione’s expertise and knowledge to develop and increase the density of its mobile telephony infrastructure in France.
According to the framework agreement concluded for a four-year renewable term, the Axione construction teams will build and/or re-equip mobile telephony sites for Orange, allowing the operator to honour its mobile telephony investment commitments.
“This agreement, won through a tender process, is a recognition of our knowledge in a highly competitive and dynamic market, in which Axione is now a frontrunner. We have three of the four major operators – Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and Free Mobile – in our customer portfolio” states Gauthier Nanoux, Client Director with the Construction Division. “This deal is the crowning achievement of several years of work for Orange, during which our teams demonstrated their capacity to incorporate high quality standards. As an example, we ran a pilot of twenty sites in the southwest of France for Orange, an operation which formed the basis of a trusting relationship between our teams.”
This baseline framework agreement, which covers all teams deployed in France, provides the opportunity for the Axione teams to put their excellent knowledge of the country to good use and hone their skills incorporating new ways of working.
Major developments for 4G in rural areas
In addition to the 10 billion euros invested in the networks every year, Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free are preparing to allocate 3 billion additional euros over the next five years to bolster their 4G networks, as part of a Mobile New Deal concluded with the government in January 2018. “Axione is one of the contractors working on this New Deal, the aim of which, among other things, is the rapid rollout of 4G in areas with no access”, states Gauthier Nanoux.
Specifically, Axione teams (negotiators, project managers, research units, site supervisors, work teams) will research and negotiate sites at high points, erect pylons, install relay antennae and all the necessary infrastructure and equipment, or re-equip existing 4G and telephony sites.
“Our expertise ranges from prospection and design to research and execution, keeping in mind that researching and negotiating over new locations, with the discussions and strategies it requires, can often take several months,” explains Gauthier Nanoux. A real challenge; one that Axione is ready to face.