This January 31, 2024 marks a key stage in the evolution of the French telecom panorama. The closure of the copper network, used to access landline telephony and ADSL, begins in practice today.
Residents and businesses in 162 municipalities across France can no longer subscribe to offers on this technology. This lot 1 corresponds to some 211,000 households located in Rennes, Vanves or Saint-Leu. A commercial closure which precedes the technical closure of this aging network by a year.
If the total end of the switched telephone network (PSTN) and the 42 million ADSL lines is scheduled for early 2030, the timetable will gradually accelerate in the coming years. In January 2025, the 829 municipalities in lot 2 (954,000 premises) will have to give up their copper line.
Fiber yes, but when?
One year later, the 2,145 municipalities in lot 3 (2.44 million premises) will switch to all fiber.
For this migration to be possible, the extinction of the copper network must, in parallel, coincide with the generalization of optical fiber in the territories concerned. However, the slowdown in the pace of fiber deployment observed in recent months calls into question the ability of operators to keep to the schedule.
Worrying deployment delays
An association of communities engaged in digital technology, Avicca regularly sounds the alarm. In a recent post, she noted that 20% of the municipalities in batch 1 were still not 100% fiber at the end of September. “ Four of them were even below 90% of connectable premises. »
The association regrets not having more recent statistics or information on the number of premises that can be connected on demand. A system that allows a customer to make a request to an operator to be connected to fiber within six months.
Arcep says it is very vigilant in respecting the regulatory conditions for fiber deployment and the commitments made by operators. Last December, the telecommunications policeman established the regulatory framework for fixed networks for the period 2024-2028, governing in particular the closure of the copper network. “ If these criteria are not respected, we will not hesitate to request the postponement of the closure in certain municipalities”warned its president, Laure de la Raudière, during her vows.
No switch without quality of service
French people who have switched from ADSL to fiber must, moreover, be assured of quality of service on very high-speed networks. However, between recurring breakdowns, wild disconnections, hasty installations or deterioration of technical premises, this is not always there. Moving from one network to another is, moreover, a real obstacle course for some subscribers.
“For the closure of the copper network to be a success, fiber networks must also meet their promise in terms of technological progress, recalls, Laure de la Raudière. PTo do this, the quality of service difficulties still encountered today must be resolved. »
“After a somewhat difficult awareness for some”, she notes that all operators are now committed to implementing the action plan presented in September 2022.
How to know if you are affected by the ADSL closure
To support the French in this technological migration, the government recently put a dedicated site online.
It allows you to know when you are affected by the closure of the copper network and what the practical arrangements are for switching to fiber. Work is sometimes necessary on your land before it can be connected. The site also reminds you of the market to follow in the event of a dispute with a telecom operator.