Fiber optics and 4G (and soon 5G) are being deployed throughout France, with ambitious targets set by the authorities. Everyone is expected to have access to very high speed broadband within a decade, and the fourth generation mobile network is expected to cover the entire territory by the end of next year. These two objectives may not be met, however, and it is not necessarily the fault of operators and Internet service providers.
On the 4G side, the deadline is very close and it will probably not be respected. In theory, however, everything was planned when the “New mobile deal” was signed in 2018. 4G coverage was to be complete at the end of 2020 and for this, the municipalities that still have white areas on their territory must report and the operators have an obligation to cover these areas. This fairly simple plan is however blocked in places, like explained Le Figaro.
The cause: elected officials and residents who oppose the installation of additional 4G antennas, an essential condition for covering these white areas. The same elected officials who formally request to cover their municipality sometimes then refuse to authorize the installation of the antennas requested by the operators. The oppositions are made on aesthetic criteria, or even for fear of the mobile waves and the daily newspaper indicates that the operators often receive requests to install the antennas far from the houses, which does not make sense.
The bell tower of the church in the center of the village seems a good place to install an antenna, but this is not always the case, especially for the sunken communes where on the contrary it is necessary to choose a point in height. Some elected officials ask to install the antennas in a forest located away from the houses, in defiance of the technical requirements.
These oppositions block between 20 and 30% of cases according to Le Figaro, who adds that the delays are extremely long as a result. While an average of six months is enough to install a new mobile antenna in Germany, it takes 36 months in France. Suffice to say that at this rate, the end 2020 objective is not ready to be reached.
It’s a little bit the same with fiber optics and the end of the copper network, announced by Orange at the start of the month. The old telephone network will have to be eliminated by 2030, but there are still oppositions from a part of the population, which refuses the change of technology. The newspaper The echoes details the preparations for this transition which will remove 16 million poles and around 110 million copper cables throughout the territory.
No aesthetic or health argument a priori this time, but the switch to forced copper from optical fiber annoys many Orange customers for several years already. The strength of the habit and the fact that ADSL works so well that some customers do not understand why they should change. It must be said that the historic ISP charges 5 € more per month for the fiber, which does not facilitate the transition. Beyond this, the copper network has the advantage of operating without electricity, which is practical in certain regions to be able to call in the event of a power outage. As a result, only a third of eligible households subscribe to fiber optics and condominiums still refuse to install it.
Orange is well aware of the particular cases which remain and which only work on the copper network for the moment. EDF remote alarms and dams are also using it and solutions will have to be found. The experiments will begin in 2020 and the company hopes to be able to convince the general public, in particular by equalizing the price of its offers. Do not expect a drop in offers in fiber optics, it is rather an increase in those in ADSL that should be expected, knowing that it is ARCEP which regulates prices today.
ARCEP also requires that customers be notified at least five years before the copper lines are cut, and Orange hopes to reduce this delay to speed up the process. Last route envisaged by the historic operator, no longer repair the copper network where fiber optics are available. In the event of a breakdown, customers would have no choice but to switch to the new technology. This should not calm the ardor of his opponents …
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