MAP. What is the best mobile operator in your department?

You have surely already noticed it with your family or friends: the mobile coverage of your municipality is not always identical according to the four operators. This is why Arcep, the communications regulatory authority, has published an updated map of 4G coverage by department and its progression over the past five years.

Telephoning in 4G is now possible in the majority of towns in France. There are still disparities between departments and operators. Unsurprisingly, in the two largest departments in the region, Haute-Garonne and Hérault, the population is 99% covered by the four operators. The more rural areas have gradually caught up: 4G coverage varies from 88 to 94% in Ariège, 90 to 95% in Lot or 95 to 98% in Hautes-Pyrénées. Lozère remains the least well covered department with a coverage rate of 79 to 84%.

In the urban departments, almost the entire population is covered by the four operators. It's hard to say that one operator has better coverage than another. Orange comes first or tied in all departments with SFR and Bouygues Telecom in ambush. Free, the last to enter the mobile market eight years ago, has almost caught up. It is still behind in covering Lozère, Lot and Ariège. The troublemaker of telecoms even exceeds Bouygues Telecom in Aude, Lot and Lozère.

Discover in the map below the percentage of population covered by department and by operator, the area covered in 2020 and 2015.

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To find out the mobile coverage in your municipality, click here.

The priority of operators has always been to cover the population, less the surfaces. Logically, only 77% of the surfaces of Ariège and Hautes-Pyénées, two mountain departments, are covered. Between 80 and 90% in Aude, Pyrénées-Orientales and Lozère. Gers and Lot-et-Garonne are the two departments with the best 99% coverage.

The Arcep study shows in figures the major efforts made by operators to increase 4G coverage in the territories. In mid-2015, it barely exceeded 50% in Haute-Garonne and Hérault, 27% in Gers, 16% in Lot, 13% in Aveyron and barely 4% in Lozère!

To enable the gradual disappearance of white areas, the government launched the New Deal mobile program in 2018. 2,066 municipalities were then identified. 403 sites were commissioned as of October 9, 2020. They are often equipped with relay antennas from the four operators. The next white areas that will disappear in the region are available in the map below (order of the Official Journal of August 21, 2020).

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