Beginning his new venture from today [2 June 2025], he spent 18 years at the telecom giant, most recently as CEO, a position he held for just over two years.
“It’s still quite new to me”, Rochas reflects on his transition to the TowerCo industry. “I’m in the process of discovering this new world. I come from an international wholesale background, having led Orange’s International Wholesale business for the past six years.”
His previous role covered a broad range, including “international voice, roaming, infrastructure, including submarine and terrestrial cables”, but his new position is more specialised.
“The major difference with Totem is its focused nature. We’re centred around a single class of assets: towers. However, there are many similarities. Our customers are operators, so it’s still wholesale in many ways- focused on infrastructure, asset optimisation and delivering reliable service,” he explains.
"Having officially stepped into his new role, he is approaching his first 100 days with a clear focus on three priorities: people, partners, and planning."
“My first priority is to meet with the teams,” he explains. “While we are in the infrastructure business, it’s heavily reliant on team expertise- not just in infrastructure, but also in understanding our customers’ mobile network business.”
“From my wholesale experience, I understand the value of building close, trust-based relationships with our clients,” which feeds directly into his third priority. “Defining our roadmap for the coming years- aligning the organisation around priorities like transformation, innovation, efficiency and growth.”
Focused growth in core markets
Totem currently operates around 27,000 towers across France and Spain, serving a range of major and smaller mobile network operators (MNOs) as well as B2B clients.
However, Totem’s future within the Orange Group rests on strengthening its presence in its two core markets.
“Totem was the first TowerCo to choose a strategy centred on organic growth, focusing on our core markets- France and Spain,” Rochas says. “We were founded just four years ago, but we've established a strong position: we’re the fifth-largest TowerCo in Europe by number of sites, and second in France.”
However, to outpace competitors in an already saturated field, the TowerCo is investing in modernisation and expansion, Rochas reveals.
“We’re adding about 500 new sites annually, especially to support 5G,” he says.
However, boosting tenancy rates is another avenue the new CEO wants to explore. “Many of our locations are exclusive and strategically valuable and there’s a clear push to improve coverage in underserved areas,” he notes.
“We’re deploying small cells in Spanish cities like Barcelona and Madrid, which enhance urban connectivity,” he says. “In France, we’re building infrastructure for indoor coverage- like the new Paris Metro Line 15 South, as well as in sports and event venues.”
However, the rollout of 5G and 6G is another driving force for expansion for Totem.
“We’re investing in new sites and upgrading existing ones to support 5G deployments across France and Spain,” he confirms.
Although the tower industry has seen a raft of mergers and acquisitions recently, Totem is sticking to its roots, for now.
Rochas explains: “Right now, our focus remains on organic growth in France and Spain. We’re not actively pursuing M&A opportunities, though we’re always open to evaluating options that align with our long-term strategy.”
However, another aspect of Totem’s strategy is AI and automation, as a result, with data pouring in from 27,000 towers, AI and automation are becoming game-changers.
“By leveraging this data, we can better inform customers on optimal network deployment options,” Rochas explains.
AI is also streamlining internal processes by “reducing physical site visits during the design phase, lowering costs and carbon emissions,” and “improving delivery and repair times.”
Serving all, despite Orange ties
Key to Totem’s ongoing success, according to Rochas, is the strength of its relationships with tenants, landlords and parent company, Orange.
“We have a customer-focused organisation, with dedicated account teams managing the full scope of our relationships,”
However, maintaining neutrality as an Orange-owned entity remains crucial for the new CEO.
“Totem was designed for neutrality- from its independent branding to its organsational structure,” he explains. “Though Orange France and Spain are our anchor tenants, we serve many other customers as well. In fact, customer surveys confirm that we’re viewed as neutral and reliable.”
A journey just beginning
Above all, Rochas is energised by what lies ahead. “What excites me most is the journey of discovery,” he reflects.
“I’ve already begun meeting our teams and have been impressed by their talent and commitment. What they’ve achieved in just four years is remarkable, and I’m confident we’ll accomplish even more together in the years ahead.”
“Success means creating sustainable value. That starts with improving tenancy on our existing assets and becoming a best-in-class Towerco. Totem may be young, but we’ve focused early on efficiency, performance, and service quality,” he concludes.
RELATED STORIES
Orange announces operational launch of its European TowerCo TOTEM
Emmanuel Rochas reveals Orange International Carriers recently unveiled strategic plan
TOTEM CEO Nicolas Roy exits to head Orange’s data centres
Totem begins 5G deployment of first fully connected Grand Paris Express line on Paris metro
