Orange Belgium inspires students, bridging education and innovation

June 8, 2026

In this ever-evolving telecom world, we want to be a constant source of inspiration for tomorrow’s tech experts. Therefore, Orange Belgium welcomed 30 first-year master’s students in Electrical Engineering from the École polytechnique de Bruxelles (EPB) for a one-day visit to discover their future key role in tech. As part of an annual tradition, the students learned firsthand how Orange Belgium responds to rapid industry changes and helps shape the future of connectivity.

Ready for a behind-the-scenes look at Orange Belgium to discover our way of working and how we inspire future talent? Let’s go!

After enjoying a nice breakfast, the students made their first stop at the main technical site of our Hybrid Fiber Coaxial network site. There, they learned how fiber enables fast and reliable data transmission across residential, mobile, business, and backbone infrastructures. Through practical demonstrations, the young talents explored key equipment, witnessed live fiber splicing, and learned how network quality is measured using advanced tools.

"The precision behind fibre splicing impressed me the most. In class, we mainly study the theory of optical fibre technology, but here I could see just how accurate and innovative the process is in practice. That really stood out to me.”

- Himanshu Agarwal, master 1 student, Master of science in Electrical Engineering at École polytechnique de Bruxelles

The visit included a tour of the core network facility, as well as an overview of an innovative robotic system that connects future customers to Orange Belgium and optimizes network maintenance operations. This interactive experience provided the students with a concrete understanding of the crucial role that fiber optics play in modern telecommunications.

Right before lunch, the group headed to Orange Belgium HQ to visit the Supervision Monitoring Center, where our teams monitor all fixed and mobile services 24/7. From this central hub, our colleagues proactively work to prevent incidents and resolve issues immediately to avoid service disruption for customers.

Re-energised, the EPB students headed to the TV & Broadband Lab at Orange HQ, where they discovered how ideas are transformed into new high-quality products and services. They learned how these solutions are integrated into the full customer journey – from shop to installation and support – with data and AI ensuring a seamless experience.

Through interactive discussions with our experts, students explored the technology behind the scenes and the ecosystem powering content delivery. They gained insight into how customer needs, market trends, and powerful infrastructure come together to ensure reliable, high-quality services across cable and fiber networks to millions of users.

Two final stops completed the day: Orange Belgium’s data center and our Radio Access Network (RAN) Mobile Lab. At the data center, students learned how modern infrastructure powers mobile services, with energy-efficient solutions such as advanced cooling, solar energy, and low-emission backup systems ensuring reliable connectivity and highlighting Orange’s efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions. A simplified walkthrough of a mobile signal’s journey – from smartphone to fiber network to the internet – brought the full telecom ecosystem to life.

“Visiting the data center and the Supervision Monitoring Center was very interesting. We use the internet and mobile networks every day, but we rarely consider the technology behind them. Seeing how much monitoring, expertise and effort are required to provide customers with a reliable network was inspiring.”

- Himanshu Agarwal, master 1 student, Master of science in Electrical Engineering at École polytechnique de Bruxelles

In the RAN (Radio Access Network) Mobile Lab, students explored the full mobile network chain. Experiments and tests are carried out in a fully controlled environment here, without impacting live customer networks. This is made possible by a state-of-the-art Faraday cage that isolates the lab from external signals. Through this advanced testing setup, Orange Belgium continues to invest in innovation to building on its leadership in technological innovation.

“This visit has strengthened my interest in the telecoms industry even further. It was fascinating and inspiring to see how engineers work 24/7 to provide customers with the best possible connectivity and service.”

- Khushi Pareta, master 1 student, Master of science in Electrical Engineering at École polytechnique de Bruxelles

This commitment to developing future tech talent is at the heart of our close collaboration with educational institutions, like EPB. Together, we launched the Tech Academy to enhance students' telecom expertise. Through initiatives such as WomInTech, and Orange Summer School, as well as internships and graduate opportunities, we help make technology more accessible and bridge the gap between education and the professional world.

Intrigued by this behind-the-scenes look? Explore our vacancies and you might find the perfect job that makes you #ProudToBeOrange.