Everyone knows about the Marseille, with its clear Provence light and blue skies, its 300 days of sunshine annually, and the intense blue of the Mediterranean Sea.
It is also home to a myriad of other heritage treasures, among them being the Old Port, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (MUCEM) and the cliffs and inlets of the Calanques national park.
But the assets of France's second-largest city are not limited to such solid evidence of its exceptional quality of life. In fact, the sun also illuminates a smart, livable city and its economy, including innovative and collaborative projects, research, tourism and many other sectors of excellence. Here the 1.8 million inhabitants of its 92 metropolitan municipalities ride the cutting edge of Marseilles' thrust toward a formidable international presence.
MARSEILLE, A CONNECTED CITY
An exceptional setting for digital and creative industries
The Aix-Marseille administrative unit is one of the nine metropolitan hubs that have earned the national designation of “French Tech.” This label is awarded to hubs that are recognized for having ecosystems that support innovative start-ups.
This recognition of its potential increases the area's appeal. Considered to be one of the most dynamic of France's digital ecosystems, Aix-Marseille French Tech has access to a regional skills pool that has been enriched by the presence of leading industries in the fields of contactless technology and connected objects.
Digital technology is one of the prime movers of the Provencal economy, powered by four complementary emerging fields: big data, telecom networks and data centres, transmedia storytelling, and digital marketing. This latter category includes E-commerce, E-tourism, E-health and the production of audiovisual and multimedia content.
More than 7000 businesses in the digital and audiovisual fields bring in earnings of 8 billion euros [12 billion Canadian dollars] in sales and generate more than 40,000 jobs in the region.
By supporting French Tech, the City of Marseille has demonstrated its commitment to the digital revolution that is underpinning its urban transformation. This sector is a top priority for the resolutely forward-looking metropolis of Marseille. The city, which has become an “urban laboratory,” relies on a collaborative approach, bringing public and private actors together with start-ups and the research world; all of this being facilitated by infrastructure that is favourable to those initiating new projects. The objective is to develop synergies that lead to the creation of the city of tomorrow, a “smart city” or a “living city”; one that values its citizens, and is solidly modern, attractive, livable and sustainable.
An International Telecommunications Hub
Marseille is moving towards becoming a crossroads for exchanges, experimentation, and talent accelerators for the Euro-Mediterranean zone; it is positioning itself as a bridge for data flowing between Europe and Asia.
Thus, the information highways linking Europe to Asia and the Middle East, which are deployed via 20,000 km of cables under the Mediterranean, are often channelled through Marseille before they spread throughout Europe.
Thus, an archipelago of high-performing data centres has developed in the region, turning Marseille into Southern Europe's number one digital hub.
The region's high-speed network
Since telecommunications services are a priority for its citizens, the City of Marseille has worked toward providing complete coverage within its borders. Thus, in coordination with telecom operators and developers operating within the public space, it has been able to make very high-speed coverage available to 85% of its population.
Marseille pioneered the deployment of 4G networking in France; and now it has been selected by Orange, the telecom operator, as a pilot city for testing 5G.