Bouygues Telecom

Innovation at Bouygues Telecom places the customer at the centre of its concerns, though it also incorporates a fundamental technological dimension in order to ensure the best possible preparation for the services of tomorrow.

Innovation is an inherent part of Bouygues Telecom's genetic make-up and guides the actions of employees throughout the company.

More than ever, innovative firms in the telecoms and internet sector share their skills and know-how with their suppliers and partners.

Bouygues Telecom takes part in the work of the Mov'eo (transport) and Secure Electronic Transactions (contactless applications) competitiveness clusters.

In contactless applications, Bouygues Telecom has played an active role in the creation and research of AFSCM, the French mobile contactless applications association, under auspices of which an experimental payment scheme involving public transport and retailers will take place in Nice in 2010.

As a result of carrying out research and development in various spheres (mobile and fixed-line networks and services, IP and mobile television, contactless applications, machine-to-machine devices, etc.), Bouygues Telecom is able to contribute to the work of standards bodies in its areas of activity.


Innovation at Bouygues Telecom is a company-wide affair, involving all functions and skills. Coordinated by the Innovation department, initiatives take the form of giving all units access to resources (suggestion box platform), methods (brainstorming sessions) and events (Innovation Forum, open days, etc.).

The aim is to optimise the creative abilities of all staff by highlighting innovation, encouraging the pooling of ideas and helping everyone to solve problems.

The Innovation Forum, one of the highlights of the year, showcases initiatives for innovative projects in the various departments that take part (network, IT, machine-to-machine devices, marketing). Prizes are awarded for innovation in technology, services and processes.

Projects intended to improve service quality include:
 

• an internet sensor: placed on the customer's internet circuit, it very accurately measures the quality of the TV signal and hence enables Bouygues Telecom to identify and repair malfunctions as quickly as possible when its network is the cause;
• a UMTS HSDPA simulator: this device generates service requests similar to those of customers and estimates the quality of each service. It plays an essential part in determining the theoretical benefits of different network developments, and hence in deciding the best strategy for Bouygues Telecom.
   

Innovation projects may also be useful to customers. The SIM card, seen as a new means of interactive and instantaneous exchange, can play out different customer itineraries on all handsets, whether recent or not, by generating pop-up windows.
 

Green technological innovations are also possible, such as devices that locally optimise the 3G network, improving data communication quality indoors where coverage is poor and speeds are low. Amplification is green and passive, since the device requires neither a micro-repeater nor a power supply.

 

(Updated: May 2010)