Poor-quality fibre internet installations remain an issue in France

Concerns over poor-quality fibre-optic internet installations and resulting disconnections persist in France, as the country gradually shuts down its copper-wire ADSL network.

Problems include new connections that fail to deliver the expected improvement in service, as well as recurring cases of technicians accidentally cutting existing fibre lines when connecting new customers – sometimes affecting users with a different telecoms provider.

However, France’s fibre-optic potential remains above the European average, with 94% of homes eligible for fibre and 80% already connected, reports the president of France’s telecoms regulator ‘Arcep’ Laure de La Raudière.

The regulator is enforcing stricter measures this year to ensure connection qualities improve, including sharing information on customer satisfaction and requiring disconnected subscribers to be reconnected following an accidental outage.

It comes as France’s fibre-optic network grows and the copper ADSL network is gradually phased out by 2030. 

You can check if your area has fibre connectivity – as well as the telecoms company that operates the line – through our article here.

Beginning of the end for France’s copper connections

The shutdown of the ADSL or copper connections is not managed by Arcep, but the regulator is overseeing elements of the project including collecting complaints.

“It was Orange that decided to end ADSL sales,” said Mrs de La Raudière in an interview with BFMTV.

“It decided to do it because maintaining two networks [the traditional copper network and new fibre connections] would not be economically viable, and they set the timeline,” she added.

However she noted that in the communes where the service was cut in January 2025 the regulator has not received “a single complaint.”

She chalks this up to a new regulatory framework for telecoms providers in France that guarantees high-speed internet access as essential.

 “Our guiding principle regarding Orange's obligations is that fibre be deployed. It is essential not to leave French people who had access to ADSL without the internet at home.”

Despite the increasing availability of satellite internet supplies, namely Elon Musk’s Starlink and Orange’s own version, telecoms companies cannot use this as a justifiable reason to not bring fibre connections to rural areas.

Certain measures including grants to help some households install fibre-optic connections where Orange cannot do so have also been launched, and even areas initially not scheduled for fibre can have connections brought upon request. 

You can check if your commune is set to lose its ADSL connection this year on the Orange website. Type in your postcode to see if you are in one of the 763 concerned communes. 

Issues persist with rollout of fibre

Despite the positive first phase of the shutdown however, Arcep remains unsatisfied with the rollout of wider fibre-optic connectivity. 

A number of issues have been highlighted, including insufficient connections or new installations not being correctly installed, public fibre boxes being vandalised, and subscribers being frequently disconnected. 

“The quality of the work is still not up to the expectations of the French public, and Arcep is putting pressure on the sector to resolve the problem, particularly by publishing quality results for each operator,” said Mrs de La Raudière

In terms of disconnecting subscribers, this applies both to those receiving a new (yet not fully functioning) installation as well as existing subscribers who see their connection impacted by the arrival of new fibre connections nearby.

A new system championed by Arcep allows technicians from Orange, SFR, and Bouygues installing new connections to receive a real-time notification if they accidentally disconnect an existing user. 

Under new rules, they must help reconnect the household that lost their connection, even if they have a contract with a different supplier. This rule also applies to Free, even though they use a different fibre connection grid and are not included in the new system. 

“This wasn't the case before. And I hope that this information sharing between operators will improve things. It's better, but it's certainly not perfect yet. We remain very vigilant on this issue,” said Mrs de La Raudière.