The telecoms policeman, ARCEP, seized by numerous complaints about the quality of ADSL, reminded Orange of its obligations in this area.
On the sidelines of the publication of its customer satisfaction observatory on Tuesday April 18, ARCEP also unveiled the results of its “I alert Arcep” system, intended for the annual identification of recurring malfunctions suffered by consumers. , which then allows the authority to adjust its regulation. Among the main alerts (44,600 in 2022, a record), we find that concerning the quality of copper service.
ARCEP reminds Orange of its obligations to respect commitments and end-of-copper timetable
ARCEP explains that 3,000 people have used its alert system to draw its attention to the difficulties related to the quality of service of their ADSL Internet access. This reason concerns more than 80% of the reports made about this technology.
The authority says it has ” reminded that Orange must maintain the quality of service of its copper network until it is shut down “. Deployed in the 1970s for fixed telephones and also used since the 2000s for Internet access (ADSL, VDSL), the copper network should, in theory, be commercially closed by January 2026. The technical closure, it , is scheduled for the end of 2030.
” As such, ARCEP requires Orange to publish quality of service indicators “, adds the authority, which specifies to follow these data in the year, within the framework of its mission of control of the obligation of respect of thresholds, on certain indicators.
Orange’s strategy to get out of copper criticized by Xavier Niel
While approximately 80% of the country’s premises can now benefit from fiber optic access, Orange must meet several conditions, prior to the closure of the copper network, which make it possible to preserve competition between operators, and not not harm consumers.
- The fiber optic network must be complete in the area considered;
- The notice periods imposed must be sufficient to allow other operators to be present on the fiber network (which will allow them to offer their customers fiber migration offers);
- The incumbent must be transparent about the schedule.
As the owner of the copper network, Orange decides and manages its closure. Last month, before the senators, the boss of Free, Xavier Niel, had denounced the strategy of his competitor, taking offense at the delay between the technical closure and the commercial closure, which would allow Orange to continue to sell subscriptions on the aging network. ” It is a mistake for the country to leave 5 years between the moment when we say “we are going to close an area” and the moment when we are really going to close it “, he had declared to the Senate, referring to rising unbundling prices, unbundling which allows Free to access the copper network, but which offers “ an opportunity annuity in Orange, which is not justified, according to Xavier Niel.
Source : ARCEP
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