Bouygues Telecom is fed up with repeated breakdowns on the ADSL copper network. The operator intends to obtain compensation, and that is why it has decided to sue Orange. He claims 78 million euros in compensation.
As you may know, Orange announced in September 2020 the dismantling of its copper ADSL network, largely installed in the 1970s, by 2030. The work should start in 2023, and Orange s is already committed to no longer offering ADSL packages. Of course, in parallel, the operator intends to continue the massive deployment of optical fiber.
Nevertheless, the country’s main operators still lease many ADSL lines from Orange. It must be said that more than one out of two customers in France still subscribes to an ADSL or PSTN offer. Fact, it is essential to carry out regular maintenance of the network.
And indeed, Bouygues, SFR and Free have been pointing the finger for several years now continual degradation of service, especially in areas where fiber is not yet available. As revealed by our colleagues from Figaro in 2018, the operators did not hesitate to accuse Orange of no longer maintaining its copper network.
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Bouygues attacks Orange for lack of maintenance of the ADSL network
And for Bouygues Telecom, it is obviously too much. The subsidiary dedicated to telecoms of the famous construction company has decided to sue Orange before the Paris court according to the site L’informé. Unsurprisingly, Bouygues estimates thatOrange has voluntarily reduced its investments in the maintenance of its copper network for the benefit of fiber optics.
The result is therefore repeated breakdowns and failures, which in addition to damaging Bouygues’ brand image, cause a “commercial harm” consequent. Fact, Bouygues is claiming the tidy sum of 78 million euros from Orange as compensation.
It should be noted that Bouygues Telecom currently leases more than 2 million ADSL lines to Orange for 9.65 euros per month, i.e. a monthly bill of 20 million euros per month. In other words, Bouygues therefore claims the reimbursement of approximately 4 months of rental. Note also that the former France-Telecom has been campaigning for a few months with ARCEP to increase this rate to €12.65/month, always with a view to financing its future dismantling. However, in the eyes of other operators, this is yet another attempt by Orange to revise upwards the profitability of an asset that has been depreciated for many years now.