SFR and Bouygues Telecom have switched on their 5G network. Orange launches on December 3. Free Mobile will follow. Consequently, 5G coverage maps are put online. But beware of what they contain.
This is a quirk that you yourself may have observed while visiting the mobile network coverage map of Bouygues Telecom. By zooming in on Île-de-France for example, and keeping only the coverage information for 5G on the screen, we see that the area served by ultra-high speed mobile is in fact much larger compared to the operator’s announcement on November 30.
On that date, the operator mentioned twenty cities covered by 5G, including five for the Paris region, namely Argenteuil, Boulogne-Billancourt, Montreuil, Saint-Denis and Versailles. The other fifteen municipalities are scattered over the rest of the territory, rather in the north and south of the country, where the population density is high, in order to be able to reach a large pool of potential clients.
However, as the map shows, there is a considerable gap between Bouygues Telecom’s list and its card. Cities like Évry or Melun in the south would in fact be served, but also Créteil, Vitry-sur-Seine, Nanterre, Courbevoie, Poissy, Sartrouville, Cergy, Les Mureaux, Franconville, Sarcelles and dozens of other smaller municipalities .
Asked about this on December 1, Bouygues Telecom has not yet responded.
In France, the choice was made to use frequencies ranging from 3.4 to 3.8 gigahertz (GHz) to carry 5G. This so-called 3.5 GHz band is the first to be used for ultra-high speed mobile. But eventually, others will also be mobilized, in portions of the spectrum that have never been used for telecommunications, but also by recycling 2G, 3G and 4G frequencies.
This band is the most interesting to start 5G because it offers good results on three main criteria : flow rate, range and penetration of buildings. It is admittedly not as specialized as some other bands (for example, the 700 MHz band has huge reach and penetration, but low throughput, while the 26 GHz band is the exact opposite), but is balanced .
But if its reach is good, it is not enough to water the whole Île-de-France at this point. Its average performance is 400 meters in urban areas and 1.2 kilometers in rural areas, recalls theNational Frequency Agency. It is therefore impossible to use it as an explanation. And this is not a map of the upcoming Bouygues coverage either, as the mapping dates from December 1.
“True 5G” and “fake 5G”
This discrepancy is clearly due to the fact that Bouygues aggregates a “real 5G” and a “fake 5G” on the same card, displaying a band other than the 3.5 GHz. This is what its legend suggests, which displays two levels of color. The first describes the 5G coverage in high band (greater than or equal to 3.5 GHz), while the second shows the situation of 5G in high band (but less than 3.5 GHz).
For the National Frequency Agency, it is improper to speak of true or false 5G. ” 5G in low band will be 5G “, She explains, even though she admits that” the speeds achieved cannot be as high as those in the 3.5 GHz band ”, Because of its physical properties. These low bands will offer benefits, however, such as increased range and penetration.
Indeed, the lower the band, the greater its range. However, this has a flaw: its flow drops. Thus, the 700 MHz band is 2 kilometers in town and 8 in the countryside (it has also been nicknamed the gold band, because it made it possible to cover more easily the territories). Conversely, the 26 GHz band, which is not yet in use, has quite exceptional speeds, but only goes up to 150 meters.
« The speeds cannot be as high as those in 3.5 GHz »
It is not specified with what other low frequency Bouygues Telecom is using to extend its 5G coverage beyond the official 5G. But this operator is far from being the only one: Orange also does it and he does not hide it. In page presenting the list of municipalities who will benefit by the end of the year, he says he will also use the 2.1 GHz band, which is used today for 4G.
AT Europe 1, SFR confirmed the same approach. ” We mainly deploy in 3.5 GHz and we use the 2.1 GHz band in addition “. SFR is the first operator to activate its 5G network on November 20. It was followed on December 1 by Bouygues Telecom. On December 3, it will be Orange’s turn. As for Free Mobile, it will launch instead at the end of December.
But how is this trick possible? In the case of low frequencies, it is very easy to implement: a simple software update on a telecoms site that operates in 2G, 3G or 4G is sufficient, specifies the National Frequency Agency. This has a double advantage for the operators: firstly, to take advantage of the existing network and to limit worksites. Then, extend the 5G network much faster.
« 5G, which will be deployed on traditional frequency bands, does not require any additional development », Explains the National Frequency Agency, while the 3.5 GHz band requires the installation of a dedicated antenna on a pylon. This is why, of the almost 16,000 authorized 5G sites, as of November 1, only 1,092 sites are really at 3.5 GHz. Everything else is 700 MHz or 2.1 GHz.
As Europe 1 reminds us, this process is legal. Only, if the operators like it, it should be handled with care, because it passes from 4G and 4G + to 5G, while the speeds are not at all the same, although, for the bands low, it is rather other properties that are sought. “True 5G” indeed achieves speeds ten times greater than 4G.
Ultimately, of course, these gaps between “true 5G” and “false 5G” will gradually be erased. The stations will all switch to 3.5 GHz and the low bands used for 2G, 3G and 4G will gradually be used for 5G. It will take years, probably ten years. In fact, there are more than 54,300 authorized 4G sites in France, of which 49,000 are in operation. 5G for everyone is not for tomorrow.
Subsequently, new frequencies will further support ultra-broadband mobile, by seeking out bands that have never been used for telecoms before (like the 26 GHz band, which is very special since it uses so-called millimeter waves). And, of course, new sites will be set up all over the country, depending on needs, again requiring major work.
To avoid any risk of deception on the merchandise, the challenge will be to publish very precise and very educational coverage maps. Work is in progress, under the supervision of the telecoms regulator, so that the operators are as transparent as possible. A clear distinction between the different levels of 5G therefore appears essential.
In the meantime, operators are playing it, also for economic reasons and commercial rivalry. Orange has thus promised to bring 5G to more than 160 municipalities in France before the end of 2020. SFR, more than 120 cities. Bouygues only mentioned 20 municipalities, but its map covers a much larger area. Free Mobile hasn’t announced anything yet. In any case, the risk of escalation exists between the four operators.
Therefore, mobile users must redouble their vigilance while waiting for more visibility in areas where 5G is really happening. And they would be well advised to perhaps delay buying a 5G smartphone or wait before jumping on the first 5G package that comes along. 5G is already the subject of enough criticism, sometimes legitimate, sometimes completely eccentric, so that it does not also suffer a controversy over operator abuse.
–Sure: you are paying too much for your 4G plan
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