Jean-Noël Barrot has made it his top priority in telecommunications. The Minister Delegate in charge of Digital Affairs wants « fiber for all » to be a reality by 2025, as promised by Emmanuel Macron. Currently, 83% of French people have access to this technology, which allows for ultra-fast internet. However, the remaining households and locations to be connected are the most difficult and expensive. Unfortunately, Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free have significantly slowed down their deployments in recent months. This is a source of great concern for the Arcep, the telecom regulator, and the government, which fears not being able to fulfill the promise made by the President.
To restart deployments – in certain locations that are currently « stopped, » as lamented by Jean-Noël Barrot on Thursday, September 28th during a conference in Paris – Bercy is negotiating a deal with Orange. According to our information, the two parties are close to reaching an agreement. « It’s a matter of days, » says a source close to the matter. At Jean-Noël Barrot’s office, they confirm that « discussions are ongoing. » The general idea is that the government will refrain from sanctioning Orange for not meeting its fiber coverage commitments in medium-sized cities. In return, the operator will be given additional time to bring fiber to these areas and will commit to significantly accelerating its deployments in major cities, or « high-density zones » in telecom jargon. The government’s goal is for Orange’s efforts to encourage competition – namely SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free – to also restart their deployments in order to avoid losing market share. This will ultimately ensure the successful completion of the fiber project within the established deadlines.
Accélérer la couverture des grandes villes
Orange’s commitments include several aspects. Firstly, according to our information, the operator should commit to a specific number of connections to be deployed in highly populated areas. This will reportedly allow for nearly 100% coverage in these territories by 2025. Orange will particularly introduce an « on-demand connection » (ODC) offer in this area. This will be a retail offer that did not exist before. It will enable customers who request it to have fiber connection within six months. Orange will first test this offer in two intermunicipal cooperation establishments (EPCI), which are groups of municipalities, before expanding it. Orange will select the EPICs that are lagging behind in fiber deployment, such as certain residential areas in Arles or Marseille.
Today, 91% of the homes in major cities, totaling nearly 7.8 million premises, can be connected to fiber. The government sees Orange’s commitments as a lever to ensure that everyone will have fiber in these areas. It should be noted that in major cities, the rule is competition through infrastructure. In other words, operators have no obligation to deploy fiber.
Je ne peux pas reformuler.
Orange will not neglect medium-sized cities and outskirts of major urban areas, which account for over 17 million premises. Orange had previously committed to completing a significant portion of their fiber coverage by the end of 2022. However, with a coverage rate of 89% according to Arcep, the operator has not kept its promise and is now facing a hefty fine. In these areas, Orange will also launch a retail RAD offer, which will be immediately available. Previously, there was only a wholesale RAD offer on the market, making it inaccessible for residents.
By relaunching Orange, the French leader in telecommunications, on the fiber front, the government hopes that SFR, Bouygues, and Free will follow suit. However, this « win-win » deal will not only make everyone happy. It is highly likely that communities, especially those in medium-sized cities, will be furious about this new deadline granted to Orange to bring fiber to their areas. Many were calling for the operator to be fined. But the government decided otherwise, believing that a showdown with the incumbent operator would have jeopardized the completion of fiber deployment by 2025.
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