Boosting sustainable connectivity and AI at Orange Velodrome

As the vibrant crowd of French and international fans stream into the Orange Velodrome situated in the French port city of Marseille, an electrifying blend of Wi-Fi and 5G-powered experiences awaits to complement the event they have come to see.

Before even entering the stadium, food and beverage vendors close by benefit from private 5G to take smartphone payments – they also use it to monitor stock in real-time.

Blind and visually impaired fans join in the fun with a ‘Touch to See’ tablet. At rugby games, the pitch-shaped tablet is equipped with a magnetic disc that replicates the movement of the ball as it happens – enabled with 5G, edge computing and AI, alongside in-ear commentary.

And, for those lucky enough to be inside Orange’s Terrace (a private box), they can talk to players ‘face to face’ through a full body-length screen called La Vitre, livestreaming to another, La Vitre placed outside the locker rooms.

Even at home, fans of non-TV broadcast events, such as women’s football can still watch via a livestream that is connected to the Wi-Fi and powered remotely. Online, of live streams of these events can change the angle of the camera.

How Orange is kicking off private 5G in France

Event staff in the Orange Velodrome can talk through connected equipment called ‘Team Connect’ which works like a walkie-talkie, except Orange claims the private 5G makes it secure and clearer.

And, photographers who need to share content in real-time, make use of the 5G network to upload their high-quality photos on the sidelines. With this, Orange developed an AI tool that can detect certain objects within the many photos.

For instance, thanks to its collaboration with sportswear brand Puma, an AI tool autodetects any photos of players wearing its shoes so the retailer can upload to its social media accounts.

Orange is also using smart technology to ensure that the velodrome is on track for its sustainability goals.

TI speaks with Orange Business’ Laurent Godicheu, director of strategy, partnerships & sustainable development, and Solene Verdier, partnership success manager, within the company’s 5G Lab, nestled in the venue.

Sustainability goals 

According to Godicheu, Orange Business has an aim to produce 45% less CO2 by 2030, and to be completely net zero by 2040. As part of its net zero plan, Godicheu adds that the firm is taking steps to measure how much energy its current products are consuming.

At the Orange Velodrome, with as many as 67,000 fans entering the stadium one day, and an empty arena the next, the focus has turned to the amount of energy the Wi-Fi consumes.

Since 2016, the venue has had 1,100 Wi-Fi devices, including 1,041 access points (APs), and forty-three switches across seven floors – the challenge, they are always on.

“We have 30 big events per year, we don’t need them every day,” says Verdier.

By installing an appliance on the Wi-Fi devices that were able to capture and monitor real-time power consumption, Orange Business discovered that, whether the venue was at full capacity or completely empty, energy consumption levels stayed the same.

After that, the partnership placed a ‘Smart Power Delivery’ solution, or a switch, on each access point that can be remotely turned on or off – this worked alongside a dashboard that could monitor energy levels as it was controlled.

“Through the connected switches, we could shut down the internet connection for APs, so it doesn’t consume any power,” explains Verdier.

While no one is there, the APs remain off, but during small events, Orange Business can implement the amount of Wi-Fi that’s needed.

“For one year, it has a proven potential to save 52% of Wi-Fi energy consumption,” says Verdier.

She says that this type of technology is interesting for customers such as banks, who can choose to turn off their Wi-Fi during the night, reduce energy consumption, and keep more secure.

Notably, Verdier says Orange Business didn’t need to replace or waste any existing equipment that still worked and instead was able to adapt what was currently there.

“A big part of our footprint as a telco company is driven by hardware,” Godicheu explains.

“A lot of effort is about making sure that you extend the lifetime of the hardware by recycling it, reselling it to another customer if it’s still fit for purpose, and buying refurbished equipment.”

Godicheu explains that Orange Business’s clients are requesting the carbon footprint of a product more frequently.

To this end, Godicheu says that its product developers are applying an ‘echo design methodology’ to every new product it’s making – ensuring that all options are considered to optimise the footprint for products during the design and usage phases.

Orange is also measuring the footprint of existing products, and gauging the amount of CO2 the business is expected to produce as it evolves and changes.

Within the Orange Velodrome, it has also implemented Cisco Webex devices and sensors in its conference rooms. The cameras can detect whether the room is empty and thus turn off the lights and any temperature control.

Booking the rooms online means that the rooms can prepare the temperature in advance, and the firm can monitor energy consumption.

Gen AI monitor 

In terms of using generative AI for use cases such as the autodetection for Puma sneakers – Godicheu assures that there are several measures in the pipeline in terms of optimising its footprint.

According to studies by the International Energy Agency, the rise of generative AI has taken a toll on the environment. For instance, simply training an AI model is estimated to use more power than one hundred households in a year.

“One of the key optimisations Orange Business is making, will be using generative AI only when it’s required, not just for anything,” says Godicheu.

“Then, the models themselves will be optimised and simplified in terms of their intensity,” he explains.

This in turn will hopefully reduce the amount of infrastructure needed, such as data centres, reducing consumption there.

“We do have a specific task force with Orange Business assessing the CO2 impact of generative AI and how we can master it,” he says.