By launching its new Freebox Ultra and Ultra Essentiel offers, Free wanted to consolidate its position in the Premium offer in the face of competition which has been growing in recent years. Let’s see what this new box is worth compared to equivalents from other historical operators.
With its new Freebox Ultra, Free wanted to reconnect with its DNA as a market killer for internet operators, particularly regarding high-end offers. It must be said that since 2020 and the release of the Freebox Pop, historical operators have had time to re-arm themselves in this sector. In particular, there was the release of Livebox 6 and 7 from Orange, the Bbox Ultym from Bouygues Télécom and the SFR Box 8X from SFR with corresponding premium subscriptions for each of them.
But then, is Free as strong as it claims to be on the high end, in particular on its price positioning in relation to the services offered, but still particularly high? So let’s take a look at this comparison table:
| Freebox Ultra | Livebox Max Fiber (Livebox 7) | Bbox Ultym | SFR Fiber Premium (SFR Box 8X) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | 49€99 /month for 1 year then €59.99/month 39€99 /month | 39€99 /month for 6 months then €57.99/month. | €32.99/month for 6 months, then €52.99/month | 35€99 /month for 6 months then €46.99/month. |
| Commitment | NO | YES (12 months) | YES (12 months) | YES (12 months) |
| Connection type | 10G EPON/ XGS-PON/ EPON fiber | 10G EPON/EPON fiber | 10G EPON/EPON fiber | 10G EPON/EPON fiber |
| Max theoretical flow | Up to 8 Gb/s symmetrical | Up to 5 GB/S (download) / 1 Gb/s (upload) | up to 2 Gb/s (download) and 900 Mb/s (upload) (8 Gb/s and 900 Mb/s with the Speed + option at €2/month) | Up to 8 GB/S (download) / 1 Gb/s (upload) |
| Wi-Fi type | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) |
| Wi-Fi repeater | YES (included on request: 20 euros) – Wi-Fi 7 | YES (included on request: 10 euros) – Wi-Fi 6 | YES (included on request: 10 euros) – Wi-Fi 6 | YES (free) – Wi-Fi 6 |
| Pocket Wi-Fi | YES (included on request: €10) | YES (Airbox 20 GB on request: €10) | YES (Mini Box 4G 50 GB on request: €10) | YES (30 GB-free) |
| Player TV | Player Pop (included) | Ultra HD 4K decoder (included) | Bbox TV 4K HDR (included) | SFR Box 8 TV (included) |
| VOD service included | – The Canal+ channel live -TV by Canal -Disney+ Standard – Netflix Standard with advertising – Amazon Prime – Universal+ – Cafeyn – Free Ligue 1 | – Canal + (included free of charge on request for 6 months with 12-month commitment) | – Amazon Prime (included free for 6 months) – Disney+ Standard (included free for 6 months) – Universal+ Standard (included free for 6 months) | – Netflix Standard with advertising (included free for 9 months) OR – Disney+ Standard (included free for 9 months) |
| TV channels | 280 TV channels (included) | 140 TV channels (included) | 180 TV channels (included) | 200 TV channels (included) |
| Telephony | Unlimited to landlines and mobiles in Metropolitan France, Overseas Territories and Europe | Unlimited to landlines and mobiles in Metropolitan France, DOM, Europe | Unlimited to landlines and mobiles in Metropolitan France, DOM, Europe | Unlimited to landlines and mobiles in Metropolitan France, DOM, Europe |
| Additional fees | Activation: €49 Cancellation: €49 | Activation: €50 Cancellation: €50 | Activation: €48 Cancellation: €59 | Activation: €49 Cancellation: €49 |
With the Freebox Ultra, Free has stood out on the technological aspect and in terms of the services offered. For many, the arguments of Wi-Fi 7 and the speeds offered (up to 8 Gb/s symmetrical) will hit the mark when others will be more interested in the SVoD services included (and over the entire duration of the subscription) or again by the inflated catalog of TV channels, far ahead of the competition.
Fiber, Cable
RED box Fiber
Flow up to 500 Mbps
Without Player TV
Telephony to 100 destinations
Fiber
Bbox fit Fiber
Flow up to 400 Mbps
Without Player TV
Telephony to 110 destinations
ADSL, Fiber
Freebox Pop
Flow up to 5 Gbps
230 TV channels included
Telephony to 110 destinations
29.99€
39.99€
For 12 months
All internet boxes
Free has taken a long lead over other high-end fiber boxes
By maintaining a price at the top of the range with such a complete offering and almost ahead of its time, Free has just struck a major blow. The calendar also works in the operator’s favor since with a Livebox 7 which is only a few months old and two other boxes (the Bbox Ultym and the SFR Box 8X) which are still far from being at the end of their life.
The fact that Free has also opted for symmetrical speed via 10G-EPON technology for its Freebox Ultra and not XGS-PON technology (which the Freebox Delta had) corrects the operator’s relative weakness in the field of very high speed . We will see in a few months on real measurements and on a national scale if Free can grab places in the different barometers.
Who is the Freebox Ultra for?
Free wanted to cast a wide net with its Freebox Ultra, particularly for a tech-savvy and movie-loving audience. With advanced NAS functions (in particular thanks to NVMe SSD storage expansion) and the presence of 4 2.5 Gb Ethernet ports, this new Box from Free has a technical foundation that makes it ready for the future. Despite everything, ordinary people will perhaps have the impression of not needing as much (hence the presence of the Freebox Ultra Essential offer). As they say in initiated circles: who can do more, can do less.