In a telecom market shaped by economic pressure, fierce competition, and rapidly evolving consumer habits, Orange Romania is betting heavily on network leadership as its defining advantage. With the largest 5G spectrum investment in the country’s history - around EUR 265 million - the company is doubling down on speed, coverage, and long-term infrastructure at a time when many players are tightening their belts.

For Antoine Drevon, Consumer Director at Orange Romania, the strategy is clear: sustained investment is not optional, even in challenging conditions. “Maintaining this leadership is our main commitment to our customers,” he says, pointing to independent measurements that show Orange delivering average mobile download speeds significantly ahead of competitors. From rolling out 5G+ in more than 70 cities to upgrading connectivity in high-traffic spaces like Bucharest’s subway and the National Arena, the focus is on bringing performance “where it matters for customers.”

But the network story goes beyond raw speed. Drevon frames connectivity as an enabler of everyday life, from smoother commuting and immersive entertainment to smart homes, IoT, and emerging Smart City applications. At the same time, Orange is reshaping its consumer offer around flexibility, digital-first services, and value, responding to customers who expect both premium quality and tighter control over spending.

Looking ahead, Orange sees artificial intelligence, sustainability, and cybersecurity as the next major forces reshaping telecom. “We believe a great network is more than just fast or reliable—it’s the invisible thread that keeps people connected to what matters most,” says Antoine Drevon.

Read the full interview below:

What are your top strategic priorities for Orange Romania's consumer division right now, especially considering the rapid expansion of the company's 5G network?

Antoine Drevon: The customers’ ever-changing needs in terms of connectivity have always driven us to always meet them head on. And, of course our expansion of the 5G network is no exception, especially given the fact that Orange Romania has made the biggest investment in the 5G spectrum in Romania to date of approximately 265 million EUR.

The market conditions are far from optimal, given the economic context and especially with the imbalances in terms of competition and prices. But we have so far maintained the same rhythm of investments, so that we can continue to deliver the fastest networks in Romania and the best experience for customers: best 5G networks, best quality at the best prices. We are investing in 5G and bringing the 5G+ technology to Romanians for the first time. This is particularly visible in the Netograf report: in the last 8 years Orange has maintained its leadership in terms of mobile network speed. In 2024, average download speed was 70% higher compared to the next competitor. Maintaining this leadership is our main commitment to our customers.

Our top strategic priority has been to consolidate our position as top operator, after finishing the legal merger with the former Orange Communications SA. We continue to focus on our infrastructure in order to always be prepared for the future.

Investments have actually accelerated in 2025 and include a 360 degrees nationwide marketing and communications strategy. In 2024 we launched our new brand platform and signature – “Orange is here”. And this year we extended to a full-scale communication campaign at both national and local level, under the slogan “The #1 network for your passions”. The latest iteration of this concept included David Popovici, the Olympic swimming champion, as an example of resilience and always following his passions.

Orange brought the best network where it matters for customers. As an example, in 2025, we installed a full new network at the National Stadium (Arena Națională), doubling the capacity and we started the upgrade of the mobile network on the subway. We are the first to offer 5G+ speeds on the subway from Bucharest, reaching up to 1 Gbps. This means that the fastest network in Romania will become even faster. Concretely, commuters’ lives will be improved through this new type of connectivity and 4G signal will be much better as well. By the end of 2026, we plan to reach full coverage on the subway.

To adapt to the expectations of the Romanian telecommunications market, our portfolio offers the best value for money and on top we are amplifying it with an accessible promotion that gives the best price to quality ratio on the market: 50% off on all subscriptions for 2 years – both voice and mobile internet and fixed services (TV & fiber internet). We are rolling out our Giga Fiber network, to offer the fastest home fiber connection in Romania – 2,1 Gbps download and 1 Gbps upload – constantly increasing eligibility for this speed in cities all over the country, already reaching more than 95% coverage at the end of 2025 and committed to reaching 100% coverage in the next two years. Confirmation comes, once again, through ANCOM’s Netograf report, which shows that Orange is maintaining its position as the fastest operator on both mobile and fiber networks in Romania.

One other important strategic direction is gradually integrating AI across the board: our networks, operations and client interactions. This ensures not only that we are future ready, but that we also make the best use of the fastest rising tech in order to improve both the quality of our networks and the customer experience.

How do you see the expansion of the 5G network in Romania transforming the everyday lives of your customers? Could you share some examples?

Antoine Drevon: In November, we passed 70 cities with 5G/5G+ implemented, more and more of them with 100% coverage. And we are continuing the expansion, with more cities by the end of the year. Most of the improvements the technology brings are natural progressions: websites load faster, files are transmitted much quicker, smart devices can be accessed almost instantaneously, video streaming can now be done at higher quality and without any potential interruptions, online video gaming at low latency is now possible. And one other important aspect is the significant improvement of mobile signal indoors.

But the impact on customers is much more far reaching, because 5G/5G+ facilitates more smart homes and implementing Internet of Things technologies, as well as Smart City projects for education, health, energy, environment.

What changes have you seen in consumer behaviors and expectations in the Romanian market in recent years, considering the evolving usage patterns determined by streaming, social networking, remote work, and IoT? How is Orange adapting to these changes?

Antoine Drevon: We believe a great network is more than just fast or reliable—it’s the invisible thread that keeps people, families, and businesses connected to what matters most. We’ve been part of Romania’s digital story for nearly three decades now. And our mission has always been clear: to lead the way in delivering extraordinary connectivity and improve the way people live, work, travel and interact.

As more and more aspects of customers’ lives are becoming digitalized, we have constantly adapted our offers to make sure they are flexible and that content is as diverse as possible. For example, our fixed services offer now includes some of the most popular streaming services, such as Netflix and HBO Max.

We’ve also seen more and more people interested in fully digital offers. YOXO covers all their needs in this case and gives them more flexibility and control over their benefits and, most importantly, their budget. Of course, a good part of them are tech-savvy, but YOXO is chosen by many families, including elderly people and children, because all subscriptions are very easy to manage with the app and they cover different combinations of needs at affordable prices. Furthermore, we recently extended the device offerings with a special online shop dedicated to refurbished products, together with our partner, Recommerce. We are thus trying to encourage more sustainable habits and the reduction of e-waste, but we are also bringing a very diverse and affordable portfolio of refurbished products to budget-minded people, which look and work just like new devices and which also include a 2-year warranty. And I should also mention the fact that this new refurbished e-shop includes not only phones, but also tablets, laptops and game consoles and is not dedicated just to YOXO customers, but to anyone looking for a bargain.

When creating new products and service offers, how does Orange ensure that it accurately identifies and meets evolving customer needs? In a highly competitive market, how do you maintain the edge over competitors when it comes to consumer-focused initiatives?

Antoine Drevon: We always look at a wide audience when adapting our offers or creating new products and this is evident in our marketing campaigns, which are always omni-channel and nationwide. A lot of the market seems to focus on prices. And, of course, especially in the challenging economy of today, the main driver will be costs. But this goes both ways: a company has rising costs, as well, while needing to offer the best experience, with the expectation from customers that subscriptions will have the same prices.

Our competitive edge has always been the level of quality we offer in both our networks and in the form of client service. But this year we are also trying a much more diligent strategy in terms of pricing, as I have mentioned before. We are offering the best possible price for new customers, for an entire contractual cycle, which still allows us to maintain quality.

How has digital transformation reshaped the way Orange interacts with its customers, and what role do you see digital channels playing in the future of customer engagement?

Antoine Drevon: Digital transformation is enabling Orange to stay even closer to its clients, offering customer care whenever needed. My Orange (application and web) is the main digital gateway for customer support. We are using artificial intelligence to ensure the constant improvement of our processes and digital channels, in order to meet customers’ expectations. One of our latest use-cases was the launch of service support for our fiber customers in My Orange, enabling customers to interact with us 24/7.

Digital transformation in customer relationships was implemented in its early days, and we have kept evolving and adapting to new technologies constantly. We believe it is important to involve our customers in our transformation and this is the reason we have a dedicated community of prosumers as well, on our forum, which is one of the effective ways of communicating with them. One of the latest examples is the launch of our YOXO Chatbot AI Helper, which offers extremely fast answers and takes the customer experience of the YOXO app to a new level.

We are already seeing improvements in customer satisfaction a few months into the launch and we are looking into similar future endeavors. I believe that digital channels will become one of the main ways of communicating with clients. So, it is quite important to maintain an integrated system, where they can receive personalized answers as quickly as possible.

How does Orange collect and integrate customer feedback into its products and services? Could you give an example of an important insight you've gained recently from your customers?

Antoine Drevon: Our main guiding principle is listening and responding to our customers, while trying to anticipate their needs. We have mechanisms in place at every level of customer care, sales, marketing and communications, in order to have a complete image of our clients’ feedback and necessities.

But sometimes, some of the best feedback comes from the customer’s actions. For example, in 2024-2025 we began to see former clients returning to Orange after one or two contractual cycles with another operator. The main reason they mention is the quality of our networks, which goes to show that constant investments are paying off in the long run.

As Orange rolls out advanced infrastructure, how are you ensuring it also delivers inclusive benefits? Beyond connectivity, are there specific educational, environmental, or social initiatives tied to your 5G projects, especially in underserved or rural regions?

Antoine Drevon: As far as our CSR initiatives go, we have quite a few projects underway. One of the most important ones is 5G Connect Danube Delta, through which we are bringing 5G/5G+ and Edge Cloud technologies to the most isolated area in Romania, with the financial support of the European Commission. This goes beyond just upgrading connectivity - we have identified four crucial use-cases in the community: remote medicine services, digital education, environmental monitoring and slow tourism. Working with partners and local authorities, we are looking to combat isolation and help these communities to grow their economy and offer more opportunities for younger generations.

One important program is #ForGoodConnections, which is an international initiative, kicked off by Orange Group, and which aims to provide resources for parents and kids in order to find a balance in their digital lives. We, as facilitators of connectivity must also make sure that we help families maintain their digital health. The two main topics here are cyber bullying – how we recognize the signs, how we can help kids talk about this with their parents or ask for help, give kids the resources to deal with it – and screen time – how we adults deal with our own screen addiction and how we can help kids find a balance between online and offline.

Looking ahead, what major trends do you foresee shaping the telecom industry in Romania over the next few years and how is Orange preparing to respond to these developments?

Antoine Drevon: AI is definitely the biggest trend and disruptor in many industries and telco is not an exception. It is, of course, important to implement it responsibly and use it where it brings value for both productivity and customer satisfaction. But I believe we are only at the beginning of the AI revolution and that communication services have a lot to benefit from it. This is the kind of innovation that sparks other innovations in the field, without an end in sight.

One other important trend is directly ingrained in 5G technology, which is much more sustainable. Moving from 4G can mean networks which are up to ten times more energy efficient for the same quantity of traffic. Modern networks can also go into „economy mode” when they are used less. Greener networks are definitely only starting to emerge and we have many opportunities in this area.

The most evident trend is cyber security. And it’s probably not so much a trend, but rather a need. Customers have become more aware of online safety. That’s why we are doubling our efforts next year, both securing our networks with extremely advanced threat detection tools and offering our clients cyber security solutions, so that they can stay protected on every device. And we are also working to contribute to the awareness of the general public about cyber threats.

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*This interview was edited by Romania Insider for Orange Romania.