2023-09-29 10:27:00
Jean-Noël Barrot has made it his top priority in telecoms. The Minister Delegate in charge of Digital wants “fiber for all” to be a reality by 2025, as Emmanuel Macron promised. Today, 83% of French people have access to this technology which allows them to benefit from ultra-fast Internet. But the last homes to cover, the last premises to connect, are always the most difficult and the most expensive. However, for months, Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free have largely slowed down their deployments. To the great dismay of Arcep, the telecoms regulator, and the government, which fears not being able to honor the promise of the tenant of the Elysée.
To restart deployments – in certain locations ” off “as Jean-Noël Barrot deplored Thursday September 28 during a conference in Paris -, Bercy is negotiating a deal with Orange. According to our information, the two actors are close to finding common ground. “It’s a matter of days”, says a source close to the matter. At Jean-Noël Barrot’s office, we confirm that ” Discussions are ongoing “. The general idea is that the executive refrains from sanctioning Orange for not having respected its fiber coverage commitments for medium-sized towns. In return, the operator will have additional time to bring fiber to these territories, and will above all commit to significantly accelerating its deployments in large cities, or “very dense areas” in telecoms jargon. The objective, for the government, is that this effort by Orange encourages the competition – that is to say SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free – to also relaunch their deployments so as not to lose market share. Which will allow, in fineto complete the major fiber project on time.
Accelerate coverage of major cities
Orange’s commitments include several components. Firstly, the operator should, according to our information, commit to a precise number of lines to be deployed in very dense areas. This will, we are told, make it possible to approach 100% coverage in these territories by 2025. Orange will notably launch a “connectable on demand” (RAD) offer in this area. This will be a retail offer that did not exist until now. It will allow customers who request it to benefit from a fiber connection within six months. Orange will first test this offer in two public intermunicipal cooperation establishments (EPCI), which are groupings of municipalities, before generalizing it. Orange will select the EPCIs furthest behind in the deployment of fiber, like certain residential areas in Arles or Marseille.
Today, 91% of homes in large cities, which total nearly 7.8 million premises, are connected to fiber. The government sees Orange’s commitments as a lever to ensure that everyone will have fiber in these territories. Let us remember that, in large cities, the rule is that of competition through infrastructure. Operators have, in other words, no deployment obligation.
Relaunch the Orange locomotive
Orange is not going to neglect medium-sized towns and the outskirts of large cities, which represent more than 17 million residents. Orange had, in the past, committed to completing a large part of their fiber coverage by the end of 2022. But with a coverage rate of 89% according to Arcep, the operator did not keep its promise, and has since lived under the threat of a large fine. In these territories, Orange will also launch a retail RAD offer. This will be immediately available. Until then, there was only one RAD offer on the wholesale market, which was therefore inaccessible to residents.
By relaunching the locomotive Orange, the French telecoms leader, on the fiber front, the government hopes that SFR, Bouygues and Free will imitate it. This deal, presented as “win-win”, will not only make people happy. It’s a safe bet that communities, particularly those in medium-sized towns, will be furious at this new deadline granted to Orange to bring fiber to their homes. Many called for the operator to be fined. But the government decided otherwise, estimating that a standoff with the historic operator would have threatened the completion of fiber deployment in 2025.
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