Following the news that Orange France has debuted free 5G Standalone-based ‘5G+’ access for customers;

Emma Mohr-McClune, Chief Analyst – Telecoms Practice, Technology at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view:

“5G monetization has been a struggle for wireless operators everywhere, with few truly successful ARPU uplift case studies to point to and diminishing optimism in this space. The next big revenue opportunity, according to the vendor community, is standalone 5G. But will operators carve out more expensive plans with this network evolution, and will customers be willing to pay extra for standalone 5G benefits?

“With its 5G+ launch, Orange France’s key go-to-market message is the promise of ‘dedicated access’ in busy coverage areas. The wireless market has operated on a “best effort” basis for decades, and real customer education is required here to help end-users understand the benefits. They need to understand precisely how and when these benefits will materialize to effectively capitalize on the monetization opportunities available. It’s not clear that Orange France has done enough in this respect.

“However, one angle that Orange France is tacitly exploring is the pairing of 5G+’s superior uplink capability with AI experiences. Certainly, a faster and stronger wireless uplink is required for satisfactory experiences, and with a theoretical maximum of 200 Mbps upstream, Orange 5G+ promises just that: One of the most interesting features of this launch is the inclusive ChatGPT Plus for free for 12 months (EUR 23/month thereafter).

“It’s also interesting to note that Orange France has crafted a strong promotion incentive for the ‘young professional’ segment (from 18 to 26 years old) as well as increased data security protection in the shape of SIM card identification data encryption. However, competitors are not far behind, and it’s doubtful that Orange France will be able to enjoy these USPs for long: Free Mobile flagged up the launch of its own standalone 5G network last September and Bouygues Telecom is already marketing offers for enterprises.”