A new Freebox “before the end of the year”? This was Xavier Niel’s announcement during Free Communities Day in September. A few weeks before 2024, the dream of a Freebox V9 seems to evaporate. His arrival next year is not even assured.
Seeing Free postpone the launch of the future Freebox is not a surprise. Xavier Niel’s operator has always stood out for his inability to meet his own deadlines. Free loves to promise an imminent announcement for several months, create false hopes, and then actually hold a conference. A good way for him to maintain the buzz, by relying on his communities to relay the information. The Freebox V7, now Freebox Delta, had for example been awaited for several years, before seeing the light of day at the end of 2018.
Unsurprisingly, there should be no Freebox V9 in 2023. As reported Freebox universe on December 5, Free only has December 12 and 19 to organize a conference (the brand makes its announcements on Tuesdays). Since no invitation card has gone out and it is unlikely that the press will be invited at the last moment, everything now suggests that the promise of an announcement at the end of 2023 was false. The lack of communication on the subject, while Free loves to publish teasers, fuels the possibility of a marketing that was never planned for this year.
A Freebox V9 in 2024: yes, but when?
In his article, Freebox universe is now betting on an announcement “early 2024”. We prefer to be less optimistic than him, since the operator has absolutely not started publishing indices.
Another element to take into account: the Freebox V9 would be the first box on the market compatible with Wi-Fi 7, a standard which will not be finalized before… mid-2024. Those who remember Free’s caution with Wi-Fi 6 have every reason to think that Free will not launch a box with experimental Wi-Fi 7, at the risk of offering a product that will quickly have to be update. There are Wi-Fi 7 routers in France today, but none sell in proportions similar to those of an operator box.
Will there be a high-end Freebox V9 in 2024? It’s possible, as the Freebox Delta will celebrate its six years. But it is also possible that Free continues to test the nerves of its subscribers… The Freebox Revolution remained at the top of the pyramid for nine years, despite persistent rumors of replacement which lasted for several years.
In September, Xavier Niel announced that his new box had entered production, with an expected arrival by the end of the year. But the absence of communication on the Freebox V9 in the two months following this media release, despite the public appearance of Xavier Niel at the launch of Kyutai (its French rival to OpenAI), quickly suggested the absence of a real project. The Freebox V9 will arrive one day, but we don’t know when.
Do you want to know everything about the mobility of tomorrow, from electric cars to e-bikes? Subscribe now to our Watt Else newsletter!