Orange demonstrated pureLiFI’s latest LiFi at the Tour de France. It was demonstrated alongside a variety of other innovations to the public across the three-week event. Orange has supported the Tour de France for over 20 years through the deployment of innovative technology that is unique and specific to this competition. Every day, Orange deployed tailored solutions to ensure that the global media coverage and the race itself both run smoothly. During the three-week race covering some 3,351 km, more than seventy Orange experts and technicians were mobilised to produce the unique infrastructure and meet the network needs of its French customers. The Tour de France is also a means of developing the digital infrastructure across the country. Over the past twenty years, the networks deployed for the Tour de France have enhanced the permanent coverage for towns and some unique locations around France.

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What is the Tour de France?

The Tour de France is an annual men’s multiple stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists of 21 stages over a little more than 3 weeks.

The race was first organized in 1903 to increase sales for the newspaper L’Auto and is currently run by the Amaury Sports Organisation. The race has been held annually since its first edition in 1903 except when it was stopped for the two World Wars. As the Tour gained prominence and popularity, the race was lengthened and its reach began to extend around the globe. Participation expanded from a primarily French field, as riders from all over the world began to participate in the race each year. The Tour is a UCI World Tour event, which means that the teams that compete in the race are mostly UCI WorldTeams, with the exception of the teams that the organizers invite.

Traditionally, the race is held primarily in the month of July. While the route changes each year, the format of the race stays the same with the appearance of time trials, the passage through the mountain chains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, and the finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The modern editions of the Tour de France consist of 21 day-long segments (stages) over a 23-day period and cover around 3,500 kilometers (2,200 mi).The race alternates between clockwise and counterclockwise circuits of France.

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