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Orange has signed a multi-year deal with OpenAI, becoming the first European telecom operator to obtain direct access to its models.
French telecom provider Orange disclosed a partnership with Meta and OpenAI on November 26 to support translation in regional African languages. Starting in 2025, Orange will use Wolof and Pulaar data—spoken by 16 million and 6 million people in West Africa respectively—to train Meta’s Llama and OpenAI’s Whisper models for customer service. These open-source models will be available to governments, educational institutions, and startups for non-profit purposes like health and education, aiming to reduce the digital divide.
In a press release, Orange stated that the agreement includes data management and hosting in European data centers, making it the first European telecom operator with direct access to OpenAI’s models. The collaboration also offers early access to OpenAI’s latest models, providing AI-driven voice assistance for customers.
🇫🇷 FRENCH TELECOM ORANGE SIGNS DEAL WITH OPENAI FOR EXCLUSIVE ACCESS TO AI MODELS
Orange has struck a multi-year deal with OpenAI, becoming the first telecom operator in Europe to access pre-release versions of the company’s AI models.
This partnership gives Orange the ability… pic.twitter.com/EykjfwCTDT
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) November 27, 2024
Steve Jarrett, the company’s chief AI officer, confirmed to Reuters that Orange can access pre-release OpenAI models and influence their roadmap. He added that these models are hosted on secure European infrastructure and are used by over 50,000 Orange employees.
Jarrett emphasized that Orange is committed to using AI responsibly, avoiding large language models for every problem due to their high energy demands.
The move aligns with the global trend of “sovereign AI,” pushing countries and regions to control AI infrastructure. This involves localizing data storage and processing to reflect specific languages, cultures, and histories.
