French telecom operator Orange has entered into a multi-year partnership with OpenAI, granting the company access to pre-release versions of OpenAI’s AI models. This collaboration makes Orange the first European telecom firm to secure such direct access, according to Steve Jarrett, Orange’s Group Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer.
Jarrett reportedly stated that OpenAI’s models are the most popular and so it made financial sense for them to have a direct billing relationship. He further highlighted the advantages of the partnership, explaining that Orange has “the ability to have access to pre-release versions of their models” and can “influence the roadmap.” The models will be hosted on secure infrastructure in Europe, he added.
Currently, more than 50,000 Orange employees utilize OpenAI’s models in their operations.
The announcement follows news that Orange has also signed an agreement with Meta and OpenAI to develop AI models capable of translating regional African languages. As part of this initiative, Orange will contribute data samples in Wolof and Pular to train Meta’s Llama model and OpenAI’s Whisper model.
These models will be used to integrate these languages into Orange’s customer support systems and will also be made available to non-commercial clients, including governments, universities, and startups.
By partnering with OpenAI, Orange positions itself as a leader in leveraging advanced AI tools to enhance customer service and broaden accessibility in underserved regions.
