Despite promises and action plans to improve the quality of service of their networks, some telecom operators are obviously not playing the game. fiber optic subscribers in certain municipalities.
Based on the quality of service data it has been collecting since April 2021, Arcep, the telecoms regulatory authority, has identified that certain networks are concentrating malfunctions. About 2% of the fiber optic line fleet, mostly located in Ile de France, has a failure rate 10 to 50 times higher than the average.
Regularly updated data
Beyond the threat of possible sanctions, Arcep has decided to brandish a new weapon. On the principle of “name and shame”, the telecom regulatory authority will publish the first week of July, according to The world, a list of the most accident-prone networks, with maps by department. The data in this list will be regularly updated to determine whether or not the progress has been made.
According to documents consulted by the evening daily, two infrastructure operators are the focus of criticism: the Altitude group and XpFibre, a subsidiary of SFR. This in itself is not a surprise.
Already pointed out by the telecoms policeman, these two players had notified, in the fall, their action plans to improve the quality of their networks. This required the rehabilitation of an identified number of concentration points.
Essonne, a disaster department?
Obviously, the recovery plans for degraded networks have not brought the expected progress. Sequantic Telecom, an operator belonging to Altitude, would show a failure rate of 6.5% in Essonne, a national record while the average failure rate at the national level is 0.12%. According to the data available online, this network serves nine municipalities in the north of the department, including Brétigny-sur-Orge and Fleury-Mérogis.
In the same Ile-de-France department, Tutor Europ’Essonne, another company of the Altitude group, would present a rate close to 6%. Dependent on this network, the Urban Community of Paris-Saclay, home to 318,000 inhabitants, lodged a complaint against X twice before suing Arcep before the Council of State in summary proceedings.
At Debitex, “ network built and managed by XpFibre in Val-d’Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis, the failure rate is around 3 %”, complete The world. “ Figures above the average were also noted by Arcep on the Free network in Sarcelles. The article points out that, on the contrary, ” other departmental networks managed by Altitude or XPFibre have after-sales service rates well below average. »
Bill and quality labels
To clear infrastructure operators, The world recalls that they operate on networks described as “atypical” whose malfunctions are due, in most cases, to poor initial design. Furthermore, the responsibility is shared with the commercial operators – Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free – or at least their subcontractors who work on these networks every day to connect new subscribers.
To prevent the various players in the chain from passing the buck, a bill plans to put an end to the cascade of subcontracting and entrust infrastructure operators with quality control of connections. Finally, initiatives are multiplying on the side of operators and local authorities to set up standards and labels guaranteeing the quality of service.