Telecoms in France: independent 2026 guide to fiber, mobile and 5G

The most reliable option is the official ARCEP deployment map at cartefibre.arcep.fr. Enter your exact address and the map shows whether your home is connectable in FTTH, under deployment or out of zone. Operator websites (Orange, Free, SFR, Bouygues Telecom) also offer eligibility tests that rely on the same data, layered with their commercial offers. Eligibility depends on network deployment in your municipality and on the presence of an optical branch point (PBO) close enough to your home.

The copper network (which still carries the analogue RTC landline and ADSL/VDSL internet) is being phased out under ARCEP supervision, with a full shutdown planned by 2030. Closure happens municipality by municipality, in batches announced several months in advance. If you are affected, your operator must notify you and propose a migration option: fiber if available, otherwise a 4G/5G fixed offer or satellite. No disconnection can take place without notice, and your existing phone numbers are kept.

Portability lets you keep your number when switching operator. It is free, legally guaranteed and mandatory for every operator. The process: dial 3179 from your mobile (free call and SMS) to get your RIO code, share it with your new operator at subscription, and they take care of cancelling your old contract. The port is effective within about one working day for mobile and up to seven days for a fixed line. Official reference: ARCEP.

ADSL uses legacy copper telephone lines and tops out around 20 Mbps downstream, with quality dropping as distance to the exchange grows. VDSL, on the same copper infrastructure, can reach 100 Mbps on short lines. Coaxial cable (historically used by Numericable/SFR) reaches several hundred Mbps. Fiber optic (FTTH) carries data through light pulses in a glass strand and offers symmetrical speeds from 300 Mbps to 8 Gbps, with low latency and stability that does not depend on distance.

5G is the fifth-generation mobile network, launched commercially in France in late 2020. It runs on three main bands: 700 MHz (broad coverage), 2.1 GHz (mixed 4G/5G) and 3.5 GHz (high speeds in urban areas). To benefit you need a 5G-capable smartphone and a plan that includes 5G. ARCEP tracks the rollout in its Observatory (monreseaumobile.arcep.fr); ANFR (France's frequency agency) authorises antennas, measures wave exposure and publishes a public map of radio sites at cartoradio.fr.

Since 2021, internet contracts must state a guaranteed minimum speed. If your measurements (ARCEP-approved tools or the Wehe app) show the connection regularly falls below that floor, you can demand a free technical intervention and, failing that, terminate the contract without penalty. For a broader dispute, file a written complaint with customer service first (they have two months to reply), then escalate to the Electronic Communications Mediator (mediation-telecom.org), which is free. You can also flag recurring issues on the "J'alerte l'ARCEP" platform.

Yes. The EU "Roam Like at Home" regulation, extended until 30 June 2032, lets you use your French plan (calls, SMS and data) in every EU member state, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, with no surcharge. The only limit is fair use: the operator may cap roaming data to avoid permanent use abroad. Outside the EU (Switzerland, the UK, North Africa, etc.), terms vary by plan, so check the pricing grid before you travel.

Most mobile plans sold today are without commitment: you can cancel at any time, without fees, with about ten days' notice. Plans with commitment (12 or 24 months) are mostly tied to bundled handset offers, where the commitment spreads the cost of the phone. If you terminate early, you owe the remaining monthly payments or the residual value of the device. For everyday use without equipment, a no-commitment plan is almost always the better choice.