The telecoms troublemaker Free made a huge announcement which notably concerns Netflix, Amazon Prime Video Disney+, but which does not only make people happy.
Xavier Niel, the founder of Free and telecoms magnate, met with the press and his subscribers this Tuesday, January 30, 2024. For new mobile offers that are still hyper competitive? No, after teasing the launch of its next Freebox V9 for a few days, the French company made a complete presentation of the improvements brought by the product. There are many qualities, but also disappointments and shortcomings… One thing has not changed, however, and that is the company’s attraction to SVOD services like Netflix and Disney+.
Everything you need to know about the new Freebox Ultra V9 from Free
As since the Revolution, Free gives little names to its boxes. The last top of the range was called Delta, and the next one is called Freebox Ultra. A qualifier that sells dreams, but is that really the case? If you have the fiber, it will indeed drop. One of the major arguments lies in the connection which promises a symmetrical (theoretical) speed of 8 Gbit/s for your downloads and uploads. A first in France which should push the competition to equalize in the future.
The Freebox Ultra is a router that should last for a few years, and for this, Free’s all-purpose box has Wi-Fi 7. Here again, the French company stands out and indicates that it is possible, theoretically obviously, to reach 6 Gbit/s on several devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) simultaneously. And since we are moving from Wi-Fi 6 (E) of the latest boxes to Wi-Fi 7, the ISP has also worked on a revision of its Wi-Fi 7 Repeater. This is a small additional box that can be placed wherever you want in your home, in order to improve the wireless coverage of your connection. “The offer includes up to 4 Wi-Fi 7 Repeaters” specifies the operator.
At a time when ecology is more important than ever, Free wants to try to be a good student and confirms that its Freebox Ultra consumes as little as the very small Freebox Pop. There is also an on/off button to completely turn off the device, a “Full Sleep” mode to “reduce almost to zero” power consumption when sleeping or traveling, and a Wi-Fi eco mode to automatically adapt performance according to devices linked to the network. In this configuration, it consumes 9.9W.
Finally, also note that Free provides a 4G Pocket Wi-Fi, an ultra compact box (visible in the photo below), before being connected to fiber. 200 GB are included directly, and subsequently, you can take it away from home, but there will only be 50 GB per month. To see whether or not it will be valid abroad in the long term… Finally, for those who need a NAS to retrieve files, it is still there but traditional hard drives have been replaced by an NVMe M.2 SSD
Freebox Ultra technical specifications
- Processor: Qualcomm Network Pro 820 Quad-Core
- Ethernet ports: 4 to 2.5 Gb/s
- Two 10G SFP sockets
- A USB 3.0 port
- Speeds: 8 Gb/s up and down
- Wi-Fi 7 up to 6 Gbps
- One NVMe M.2 SSD slot available for NAS
- 4K HDR player compatible with Dolby Atmos
- Pocket Wi-Fi 4G includes 200 GB automatically, then 50 GB per month
- Up to 4 Wi-Fi 7 repeaters
Netflix, Disney+ and Free Mobile subscriptions included. Attention !
Now that we’ve taken a tour of the beast, know that the Freebox Ultra will be available with two subscriptions. The most expensive offer, at €49.99 per month for the first year then €59.99 per month thereafter, continues to roll out the red carpet for video streaming platforms. Netflix, Prime Video, Cafeyn, TV by Canal are still there, but there is much more. Indeed, to overcome the pill of the 10 euro price increase, you will automatically be subscribed to Canal+, to Free Ligue 1 for Ligue 1 Uber Eats 2023/2024 matches, Universal+ and… to Disney+ ! Seen like that, it’s hyper competitive and therefore very attractive. Yes, but there is a wolf who disappoints some.
For Netflix and Disney Plus, these are standard offers with advertisements – value €5.99 per month. Limits ? Impossible to download films and series locally, but above all, the obligation to eat advertising spots. The worst thing that exists on traditional television. Not counting SVOD services, you will have access to more than 280 channels via OQEE Free and a host of free films with OQEE Ciné. What also raises eyebrows is the lack of communication on everything related to the alarm system. On the other hand, you will be able to make your very expensive purchase of the Devialet Player profitable since it is compatible.
Freebox Ultra subscription at €49.99 per month, then €59.99 after 1 year
- Free Proxi service for tailor-made assistance that will facilitate problem resolution. And this without having to wander from right to left (normally)
- Netflix (Standard with advertising)
- Disney+ (Standard with advertising)
- Universal+
- Cafeyn to access a large catalog of French and international press titles
- Canal+
- TV By Canal
- More than 280 channels via OQEE Free and films with OQEE Ciné
- 4 Free Mobile packages at €9.99 for 12 months, then €15.99 (no time limit, Freebox subscriber reduction)
Freebox Ultra Essential subscription at €39.99 per month, then €49.99 after 1 year
- Free Proxi service for tailor-made assistance that will facilitate problem resolution. And this without having to wander from right to left (normally)
- OQEE Free (230 channels)
- Free Ligue 1 Uber Eats
- A Freebox Ultra with all the initial features
- 4 Free Mobile packages at €15.99 with no time limit (Freebox subscriber reduction)