Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition, announced that all French people who do not have access to optical fiber will be able to benefit from subscription assistance for a satellite Internet offer. This could reach €600 for the most modest households and will be implemented from the start of next year.
Among Emmanuel Macron’s many campaign promises, there was in particular complete coverage of the territory by optical fiber by 2025. As 2023 draws to a close, this project now seems largely compromised, due to the difficulty in operators to connect certain zones. The government has therefore changed its strategy: from now on, it is calling on the French who cannot benefit from fiber to turn to 4G satellite.
In an interview with the Tribune, Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate in charge of the Digital Transition, recalls that the French can receive aid ranging from €300 to €600 to benefit from very high speed. After 142,000 have already used this subsidy, Jean-Noël Barrot is now thinking bigger, by extending the system to the 7 million eligible households from the start of 2024. “It is a strong measure in the service of regional planning, […] one more step towards the right to very high speed for all.”
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The government wants to help the French subscribe to a satellite Internet offer
This aid will therefore be distributed to all French people purchasing the equipment necessary for satellite Internet, following subscription, in the form of an immediate discount. The government plans to invest 20 million euros in the project. All people who cannot be connected to optical fiber will be able to benefit from it. Remember that Starlink is no longer the only player in the market, since French operators are deploying their own satellite Internet offering.
What about the deployment of fiber, which has been at half mast for several months? “With nearly 10,000 sockets per day deployed by operators in the third quarter of 2023, the pace remains sustained,” defends Jean-Noël Barrot, who highlights the acceleration in rural areas. The minister also welcomes the recent agreement with Orange, which will connect 1.5 million additional homes. “I am confident we will achieve this,” he insists.
Source: The Tribune