Collaboration and innovation with Orange 5G Lab

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Collaboration and innovation with Orange 5G Lab: the example of Orange 5G Lab Lyon, specializing in Industry 4.0

The Orange 5G Lab Lyon, a space for discovering and exploring 5G located in the heart of the Digital Region Campus in Charbonnières-les-Bains (69), opens its doors and invites you to discover how innovation around 5G within this Industry 4.0-focused facility. We will explore the role of the partners of the Auvergne Rhône Alpes Digital Region Campus and examine how their collaborations enrich the Orange 5G Lab program. 

The Digital Region Campus: an asset for Orange 5G Lab and its partners

The Orange 5G Lab Lyon is located close to businesses, at the heart of the Auvergne Rhône Alpes Region’s Digital Campus on the DIWII platform of the École des Mines engineering school. Can you give us an overview of this campus and explain its main purpose?

The Digital Region Campus, located in Charbonnières-les-Bains, is a unique place dedicated to innovation, training, and supporting the digital transformation of businesses, as desired by the Region. It brings together an ecosystem of public, private, and academic players who collaborate to develop new uses and technological solutions. It is a space for experimentation, synergies, and networking with consortiums such as ENE, Digital League, Minalogic, and others, all working to improve industrial and digital performance.

The DIWII platform is located on campus: what is its role in the development of the Orange 5G Lab in Lyon?

Bernard Pellier, our Orange regional delegate, immediately identified the opportunities offered by the DIWII platform at Mines in Lyon Charbonnières. His commitment to training for digital transformation, along with his inspiration to businesses, are major assets for our close collaboration with this prestigious engineering school.

DIWII (opens in a new window)(Digital Intelligence Way for Industry Institute) is a platform that brings together several industrial and academic stakeholders, whose mission is to support companies and promote the adoption of future technologies. It plays a key role in the development of industrial 5G, notably through weekly visits organized by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Business Agency and its regional representations, targeting companies, SMEs, mid-sized companies, and startups. These visits aim to inspire new concrete industrial use cases and provide access to technological platforms. DIWII acts as a facilitator of collaborations, closely aligned with the needs of businesses. 

How do different institutions, such as the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne and EM Lyon, collaborate with the 5G Lab? 

These institutions are valuable partners. For example, the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne contributes its technical expertise in the fields of IoT, cybersecurity, and intelligent networks, and above all, researchers focused on industrial 5G, with tailored training programs (opens in a new window) such as the Master’s in Industrial Cybersecurity, which has just opened on campus. EM Lyon, on the other hand, plays a role in supporting business development and strategic thinking around the new economic models enabled by 5G. Together, we are developing pilot projects, demonstrators, and sometimes even training programs aimed at SMEs and mid-sized companies, with the support of our Orange experts. 

Collaborations and Innovations at the Orange 5G Lab in Lyon 

Can you share some concrete examples of collaborations that have had a significant impact on the program? 

Of course. We collaborated with a regional company on optimizing industrial maintenance using augmented reality over a 5G SA (Standalone) network. Another project, in partnership with a logistics SME, involved testing precise geolocation within a warehouse, also via 5G.

How do these collaborations promote innovation within the Orange 5G Lab, and what challenges did you encounter when setting them up?

The diversity of profiles involved—industry players, SMEs, mid-sized companies, startups, and researchers—creates a fertile ground for innovation. Thanks to 5G, we can quickly test new services, iterate, and make adjustments. The Orange 5G Lab acts as a catalyst: it provides access to advanced technology within a secure and collaborative environment, conducive to open innovation.

One of the first challenges was to explain in concrete terms what 5G can offer to businesses: higher performance, greater security, and tailored to business needs, beyond the technological hype. It was necessary to evangelize, co-create tangible use cases with short videos, and address technical or financial barriers.

Impact and future of collaborations

What impact do these collaborations have on the region’s businesses and their digital transformation?

Listening, education, and close collaboration with businesses have been key to effectively advancing the benefits of 5G, including the CSR aspect (opens in a new window), which is often unfamiliar to industry players: “when the network is not being used, it goes into standby mode!”  

It is a momentum of skill development and tangible transformation that is sustainable over the long term. 

How do you envision the evolution of these partnerships in the coming years?

We want to go further by increasing the number of multi-technology demonstrators (with future networks, 5G + AI, digital twins (opens in a new window), edge computing (opens in a new window), Network APIs, etc.) and by further integrating into various sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, and energy…  

The Orange 5G Lab in Lyon Charbonnières aims to be a gateway for all those who wish to experiment, learn, and innovate together..

In 2025, we welcomed 366 companies, 1,150 visitors, and completed 14 POCs*.

Events and commitments

PCould you tell us about the events organized on the campus and their role in promoting collaborations?

We regularly organize demonstrations, thematic workshops, morning sessions for CEOs, CIOs, and other executives, as well as open house days. These events allow participants to discover the practical applications of industrial 5G, foster connections among stakeholders, and stimulate collaborative innovation. They play a driving role in energizing the ecosystem.

How does the Orange 5G Lab in Lyon Charbonnières engage its partners and the local community in its initiatives?

We operate in an open mode: each partner is encouraged to propose projects, invite clients, share their needs, and co-host activities. We also communicate through newsletters, webinars, and personalized visits. The goal is to involve as many stakeholders from the region as possible, regardless of their level of digital maturity.

During the operation, the operator uses the tablet to access the task-specific tightening program. 

The geolocation provided by Ubisense allows the system to identify the exact position of the torque wrench. 

The Siemens router ensures real-time communication between the tablet and the key via Orange’s Industrial 5G network, enabling instant transmission of tightening instructions. 

This configuration ensures increased accuracy, reduced human errors, improved assembly quality, and enhanced security. 

Airbus has equipped its employees with torque wrenches for safe tightening. It is also exploring private 5G networks and testing private 5G infrastructure at its sites for reliable and secure connectivity..

Do you have a 5G project? Let’s meet up!

In conclusion, what message would you like to convey to companies and digital players who wish to join or collaborate with the 5G Lab?

Feel free to visit the Orange 5G Lab in Lyon Charbonnières and 21 others in France and abroad. Whether you are a start-up, SME, mid-cap company, or large enterprise, we are here to support you in testing innovative solutions tailored to your challenges. 

Together, let’s make 5G a real driver of transformation and competitiveness for our region, in complete safety. 

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*POC : Proof of concept is a concrete, preliminary, short, or incomplete experimental project designed to validate the feasibility of a concept based on real data before embarking on further development. 

News from the Orange 5G Lab Lyon: upcoming events at the Campus