2023-10-27 15:27:00
When it comes to mobile Internet, there is indeed a digital divide in France. The latest Arcep survey on the quality of the networks of Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free bears witness to this. Teams from the telecoms regulator crisscrossed France and carried out more than a million measurements throughout the country. Thus, at Orange, whose mobile network is the most efficient, the rate of measured speeds above 3 Mbit/s – the threshold for good Internet browsing – reaches 97% in large cities. But in rural areas it drops to 83%.
The gap is widening for greater needs. datavores “. Still at Orange, the rate of flow measurements above 8 Mbit/s – adapted “for the most common uses, such as video viewing”, specifies Arcep – rises to 96% in large urban centers. In rural villages, it drops to 74%. Finally, having a higher speed, at least 30 Mbit/s for the most bandwidth-intensive uses, constitutes a luxury in the countryside. At Orange, the measurement rate associated with this threshold is 53% (i.e. around 10 points more than for other operators). In large cities, on the other hand, it prances at 91%…
5G, a privilege for urban residents
In summary, mobile networks are obviously much more efficient in urban areas than in villages. The situation is not new. But it is getting worse, mechanically, with the deployment of 5G. Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free are primarily deploying this technology in cities, where the population density – and therefore customers – is greater.
Today, this technology, which has just passed the 10 million user mark in France, is not yet considered essential for individuals, in the absence of a new disruptive service which would justify convert to it. But what will happen tomorrow? Furthermore, doesn’t industrial 5G, which is starting to take hold, risk being the privilege of urban factories? This situation worries many local elected officials, who fear a rapid downgrading of their territories, in a world where digital technology has become as essential as water or electricity.
Fight against “white zones”
But 5G does not make us forget 3G and 4G. There are always “ white areas ” or some ” gray areas », where these technologies do not work, or very poorly. The government addressed this problem through the “ New Deal », an agreement signed with operators in 2018. The State concretely gave up several billion euros of budgetary revenue in exchange for an acceleration of 3G and 4G coverage in white areas. The most important part of this plan is the so-called “ targeted coverage », which allows communities to identify priority villages. The New Deal undoubtedly helped improve the situation. But not to settle it once and for all, according to the government’s own admissions. For months, voices have been raised calling for this program to be extended or renewed.
On this subject, Laure de La Raudière, the president of Arcep, estimated, at the end of September, that the New Deal had borne fruit. ” We have collectively inaugurated the 2,500th site put into service under the targeted coverage system”, she congratulated herself. According to her, it is too early to talk about a “New Deal 2”. “Some New Deal obligations will run a few more years, so it’s a little early to make a complete assessment”, she said. However, at the request of the government, Arcep will carry out a ” waypoint “ of this program, which will be revealed soon, in order to verify its effectiveness.
Fed up with local elected officials about the lack of relay antennas in the countryside, operators point out that France is making a big effort to bring mobile phones to as many people as possible. Last December, a study by the Arthur D. Little firm commissioned by the French Telecoms Federation (FFT), the sector lobby, highlighted that France was the leader in the European Union in terms of the density of relay antennas. According to this work, France then had 902 mobile sites for 1 million inhabitants. This is more than in Germany (846 million), than in Italy (812 million), or even than in Spain (782 million).
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