The editions of the Arcep Observatory follow one another and are similar. Already observed during the first half of 2023, the telecoms sector supervisory authority confirms the slowdown in the pace of optical fiber deployments in the second half. During the last quarter, one million additional premises were made connectable to fiber, i.e. 25% less than the last quarter of 2022.
In total, fiber optic coverage will have increased by two points this last quarter to reach 86%. As of December 31, 38 million premises can be connected to very high speed out of a total of 44.1 million premises identified by operators on the national territory. With more than 6 million still to be connected, the presidential objective of 100% fiber by the end of 2025 seems increasingly difficult to achieve.
Strong disparities between large cities
Already highlighted in previous editions of the Observatory, the slowdown in the pace of deployment is particularly notable in very dense areas (ZTD) with less than 200,000 premises made connectable in 2023, a drop of more than 40% compared to to the previous year. Strong disparities are observed in these large cities where telecom operators are not subject to deployment obligations.
If Paris and Lyon display a coverage rate of 97% and 96% respectively, it is only 84% in Marseille, 86% in Montpellier and 88% in Lille. Fiber optic coverage in these ZTDs also differs greatly from one department to another. While the national average stands at 92%, the rate is only 80% in Meurthe-et-Moselle, 84% in Bouches-du-Rhône and 85% in Puy-de-Dôme.
In less dense areas, the situation is better. Created at the initiative of local authorities, the Public Initiative Networks (RIP) made it possible to connect 2.4 million premises last year. Although this figure is down by 20%, the volume of connections remains particularly strong.
In the ten so-called AMEL zones (Call for Manifestation of Local Commitments) where operators have also committed to deployment schedules extending until the end of 2025, nearly 400,000 additional premises have been made connectable, i.e. a level comparable to 2022.
Finally, there remains the thorny case of AMII zones (Call for Expression of Investment Intention). Two operators, Orange and SFR, had committed to making 100% of the premises in 3,600 affected municipalities “connectable” or “connectable on request” by the end of 2020. As of December 31, Orange achieved a coverage rate of around 90%. only and SFR around 96%.
Orange pressed by the government
To put pressure on Orange, the government recently signed an agreement with the historic operator. The latter is committed to connecting some 300,000 more homes in very dense areas by the end of 2023 and 1.2 million additional premises in AMII zones by the end of 2025. In November, the operator had decided to Elsewhere saw the imposition of a fine of 26 million euros by Arcep for non-compliance with its precedents in the deployment of fiber in the AMII zone.
In a joint press release, different associations of elected officials consider this new agreement unbalanced, too favorable to Orange. “ The commitments in the AMII Zone are not only once again pushed back to 2025 instead of 2022 and are now based on an objective of the volume of new sockets, instead of an objective of a rate of connectables. »
Furthermore, commitments in very dense areas “ are in fact not opposable, therefore not punishable “. And if “ Orange will no longer be sanctioned », Local and territorial authorities believe they are with the government’s recent budget cut of 155 million euros in financing the France Très Haut Débit (FTHD) plan. To follow the progress of fiber deployments in your region, you can view the map put online by Arcep.