Progress and trust – the pillars of our industry

As Chairman of GSMA, the association of mobile industry I would like  to highlight the central role our industry to tackle  some of society’s greatest challenges in the coming years.

First challenge: how progress in technology can adress  the digital divide.

Second challenge: the lack of trust in digital life.

Third and the biggest challenge of the world, the climate change.

We must keep innovating. For too long, progress in technology has meant advancement at any cost. Real progress is about using our abilities and resources to move toward a just and equitable future, not when just making shiny new things.

We have the chance to be the leaders of an industry that has supported development and has built trust for over a century. I am convinced that trust is still the cornerstone of a strong telecoms industry today.

First challenge: how progress in technology can address the digital divide.

Half of the world’s population, 4 billion people, still has no Internet access. This digital divide raises issues in terms of access to education, healthcare, services and economic opportunities.

The 2020 pandemic brought into sharper focus just how critical this access can be.Through our networks, people can access education even when they can’t go to school. Through our networks, people are informed about health, protection measures and emergency situations. Through our networks, people can continue to access countless services, from retail or public services to mobile banking. They can also continue to work and earn an income.

By connecting people, our industry is gradually lifting them out of poverty.

To overcome the digital divide, we are deploying and extending our networks in remote areas. New technologies for low-cost networks and low-cost devices are making this possible.

Let’s have a look at the numbers. Today there are less than 500 million peoplewith no 3G or 4G network coverage. Yet 3 billion people are left behind. This means that they have the coverage, but they don’t benefit from it – whether through a lack of skills, financial means or locally adapted services.

It is through innovation that we can address this imbalance. Let me give three examples: 

·      Artificial Intelligence is helping people with low literacy levels, to access online services, through natural language recognition. These features have started with the most used languages, the challenge is to make them available in all languages.

·      Low-cost open Operating System devices are made now more affordable and Orange is providing them in several countries in Africa.

·      Solar energy for mobile antennas allows people in remote villages to charge and use mobile phones using a sustainable source of energy.

We bear huge responsibilities because expectations are high. When we succeed in connecting people, we increase equality, prosperity and well-being.

Second challenge the lack of trust in digital life : cybersecurity and data governance

Abundancy of data and communications increase digital vulnerability. A challenge rising as fast as the digital world grows, for the other half of the world population, living everyday a greater proportion of our lives online.

The vulnerability of the digital life, that goes from pipelines to hospitals, has been ranked the number 1 risk in the US Worldwide Threat Assessment.That is higher than terrorism or higher than war.

In 2020 one third of European companies reported cyber-attacks. For small companies, cyber-attacks can be fatal. In a survey conducted in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, about the main risks we’ll face tomorrow, infectious diseases, livelihood crises and climate change were among 50% of responses; but cybersecurity and digital inequality followed closely behind with almost 40%.

Cybersecurity is one of our greatest challenges for this century.

For 150 years, since the first phone call, the telecoms industry has guaranteed the security of communications. Our networks model is “secure by design” and we invest massively in detecting attacks, to protect  our interconnected networks and customers worldwide.

Just one example, that you all remember : when Notre Dame burned in Paris, there was a huge public response.  Our cybersecurity teams blocked hundreds of fake sites trying to steal generous donations.  We also remained mobilized to protect hospitals cyber-attacked during the pandemic.

There are new cybersecurity fears with 5G, as the ecosystem is becoming larger and more fragmented, and other parts of our activities are becoming digital and vulnerable.

We are part of the GSMA’s  common cyber-security testing framework, that includes operators but also all our suppliers, to guarantee the security of the whole supply chain.

This is a constant race, requiring the very best collective technology,  because no one can be protected any longer behind a “closed digital door”.

This is why we launched Orange Cyber Defense, just 5 years ago, and it is now one of the European leaders of the domain. 

Data governance has to build more trust

Over the last 20 years, masses of information and knowledge have been made available to everyone, as never before. We shouldn’t forget this progress by only focusing on the fear of exploitation and manipulation, by businesses or governments. 

But the dominant Internet model of “free” services, in return for personal data, where you “don’t pay for the product, but you are the product”, is creating mistrust, and this can act as a barrier to growth in economies that are increasingly data driven.

The value of the data economy is estimated to be 400 billion dollars by 2025. Current data governance models, support the concentration of access to data, to a few, very large, technology companies. But other models of governance are possible, to ensure benefit from the value of their own data, to consumers and businesses, as well as to protected them from breaches of privacy.

Mobile operators have always acted as a trusted partner for their customers. Our business model is not based – and will never be – on selling personal data.

Artificial Intelligence creates value, for the customer relationships as well as operational efficiency, but algorithms may also threaten the job market, or entrench bias and prejudice, and if not governed effectively, algorithms could be used to monitor and manipulate behavior. Once again, for this progress to benefit everyone, responsible leadership is key.

At Orange this year, we adapted our governing bodies to be more transparent and include external experts, to advice on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence & data.

We are also supporting the GSMA’s Connectivity for Good projects and the AI for Impact initiative.

Third challenge the climate change.

Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most complex challenges that humanity has ever had to face. The last data coming from the UN Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change are even more alarming.

The mobile industry has made through GSMA concrete greenhouse gas commitments, to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050, in accordance with the Paris Agreement, with a clear roadmap for action and transparent indicators.

Technological progress is key to achieving our commitments.We are investing heavily in fiber and 5G networks, to answer the growing demand for communications.

·      Fiber networks consume up to 3 times less energy than copper networks.

·      By 2025, 5G will use 10 times less energy than 4G for the same quantity of data - it already uses half as much today.

Our industry has the potential to go further. The pandemic demonstrated how digital services could replace less essential in-person services, with a subsequent reduction in travel and greenhouse gases, evaluated between 4 and 7%.

In 2019, ten times more carbon emissions were avoided across all sectors thanks to mobile technology, compared to the emissions of the mobile industry itself. This should double by 2025.The positive impact of our networks, brings a better life for all, at a lower cost for the planet.

Our challenges are huge. Far bigger than we could ever have imagined. They are undermining trust and faith in progress. It is our responsibility to take the lead, innovate and contribute to real solutions.  

And I remain firmly optimistic, to be alive today is still to be among the luckiest people who have ever lived. We shouldn’t forget that the technological transformation since the Industrial Revolution has helped curb ancient evils, from child mortality to hunger and ignorance.

I believe the solution to such big problems from digital divide, to trust in the digital life, as well as climate change calls for the deployment of more technology, not less.

With 30 million employees, 2.7 trillion CAPEX since 2000 and 1 trillion to come for 5G in the next few years, with 40% of the world’s population covered by 5G networks by 2025 and 25 billion IoT connections, the mobile industry has the power to make a meaningful difference.

We have the capability to increase trust for our customers, to enable development,and reduce the burden on the environment through technology progress.This is also why, we were one of the first industries to join the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

With great power comes great responsibility and we must show social and environmental leadership,with trust as a core value of our industry. That will make the difference for our societies, for the Earth and for the future we will leave to our children.