Orange Cote d’Ivoire has opened its Orange 5G Lab in Abidjan, offering start-ups, businesses and digital professionals a space to develop practical 5G applications. The lab has been devised in conjunction with partners including Nokia, Huawei and ZTE, and will host a 5G demo space for different business sectors, conferences, training, co-working sessions, co-innovation and 5G application sessions. Orange expects to launch a live 5G network in Cote d’Ivoire in 2023.

Mamadou Bamba, CEO of Orange Cote d’Ivoire, commented: ‘We recognise that 5G is a new opportunity for businesses eager to diversify, optimise or revitalise their activity. To support them, it is crucial that this space offers ready-to-use tools and allows the results of these experiments to be assessed in a practical fashion. This initiative reflects our historic commitment to digital inclusion. We aim to foster innovation and help create value within the local ecosystem.’