Where is 5G in France?

In France, the deployment of the 5G network began at the end of 2020 and is continuing in mainland France. From now on, the 4 major operators (Free Mobile, Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR) are competing in the very high speed mobile sector.

The duration of the implementation of 5G in France will extend until 2030. It should be noted that operators do not activate their 5G network all at the same time and in the same places. As a result, it's unclear which cities have 5G coverage or which carriers offer it. To find out how the 5G network is being rolled out in France, read the rest of this file.

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5G in France: the beginnings of its deployment

Around the world, the large-scale installation of 5G is already making headlines. Many Internet users are wondering where exactly this deployment is in France. In fact, France kicked off 5G on November 18, 2020 . This date marks the beginning of the race towards this mobile network

Arcep, known as the Telecoms Regulatory Authority, has supervised the implementation of the 5G network by defining a certain number of rules. Namely that operators must achieve objectives in terms of coverage respecting transition deadlines.

In addition, they can decide for themselves the cities in which they intend to deploy 5G first. They are also free to determine when to do so. In addition, these operators have the possibility of defining the frequencies used in each city. However, the choice of these frequencies is a major factor in ensuring the good quality of the 5G network. It is for this reason that 5G speeds and coverage vary from one municipality to another.

5G performance compared to 4G

The bandwidths used for 5G allow significantly higher transmission speeds. Moreover, this network exploits smart antennas such as massive MIMO, microcells, to improve its connectivity. These smart antennas direct 5G signals to the devices that need them. As a result, more users can now access 5G network services simultaneously, without losing connection quality.

Key figures on the implementation of 5G

The 5G coverage rate in France using the 3.5 GHz band does not exceed 10%. Moreover, the number of relay antennas having migrated to this band is only 8%.

By the first six months of 2022, two million French people will be able to switch to 5G broadband. Indeed, 24% of Internet users have a smartphone equipped with this standard.

5G in France: mobile operators participating in the deployment

The four major French operators have committed to the process aimed at allocating the frequencies of the 5G network led by Arcep. These include SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Orange and Free. During this process, they purchased 3.5 GHz footage.

The first to have made this purchase was SFR. In fact, on November 24, 2020, it rolled out its 5G network. This operator was then followed later by Bouygues Telecom and Orange, respectively on December 1 and 3 of the same year. It was on December 15 that Free commissioned its 5G network.

These different dates show that each mobile operator has its own strategy for rolling out 5G gradually. However, they must all respect the deadlines set by Arcep. In fact, by 2025, 5G must fully cover agglomerations and economic zones, namely 2/3 of the inhabitants. As for the ultimate goal, it is to benefit from 100% of 5G in 2030.

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This observation does not mean that the rest of the operators are not authorized to market 5G offers. On the contrary, “the reception of MVNOs in the field of 5G” is one of the obligations imposed on the four operators.

5G in France: operator obligations

As indicated above, mobile operators are required to comply with the requirements set by Arcep , established jointly with the government.

Main terms

The reach of the 5G network in France will become widespread during the first implementation period, until 2023 . This deployment is done by exploiting the fleet of 4G infrastructures of the telephone operators.

The government has defined the first “big” objective which concerns “ quality cellular coverage ” for the benefit of the French. To properly assimilate the specifications required of operators, it is necessary to consider the conditions for the distribution of the 5G spectrum. For 2020:

In addition, from 2024, new small antennas will be hidden inside buildings to ensure the continuity of this operation. In addition, 5G will use the bandwidths already equipping certain cellular networks such as the 2100 Mhz and 700 Mhz bands as well as the new 26 GHz and 3.5 GHz frequencies.

Requirements on frequency bands

In addition, Arcep specifies that during these last 2 stages, “25% of sites must be installed in a sector including municipalities with low traffic. The same goes for industrial areas located on the outskirts of large cities.

Note that Arcep has set two intermediate deadlines for 2023 and 2028. Not to mention that in the event of failure, operators risk being served a formal notice, or even the suspension of the 5G license.

5G in France: the cities in which it is available

A map of mobile network coverage has been published online by all operators. Here is an overview of the 5G deployment by operator.

SFR

SFR was the first operator to launch the 5G network. Like its colleagues, this group has also prepared well for this launch. Indeed, at the beginning of 2019, SFR collaborated with the SNCF as part of a pilot project in Nantes. The purpose of this operation is to test throughput capacities while evaluating the gains and impacts of 5G technology on railway infrastructure. Toulouse is the second city chosen for further trials.

In addition, SFR quickly made a name for itself by developing a first 5G connectivity on a 3.5 GHZ frequency band. It has also activated this standard on the Altice Campus in Paris to allow the simultaneous broadcasting of several very high quality video programs. On November 20, 2020, SFR was finally the first to officially launch 5G in Nice. At present, it covers nearly 500 municipalities with 5G, especially in major urban areas.

Bouygues Telecom

For its part, Bouygues Telecom had already started a 5G experiment in Bordeaux in July 2018. It presents itself as the first operator in France to inaugurate the 5G network in real conditions . In addition, it does not seem to be outdone by competitors. As proof, since January 2019, in partnership with Ericsson, it has created the very first 5G link with the city of Lyon.

In addition, Bouygues has mainly worked alongside Huawei to develop the 5G market in France. However, due to certain suspicions related to espionage, the French authorities have suspended the authorizations of equipment provided by Huawei until 2028. Despite this, Bouygues Telecom has managed to activate its 5G offer with 1,300 municipalities, including 28 metropolises with 100,000 inhabitants.

Orange

In its report drawn up in March 2017, ARCEP announced the partnership between Nokia and Orange aimed at deploying 5G network trials in France . Lille, Paris, Nantes and Marseille are the 4 cities that Orange has designated to carry out the very first 5G testbeds. This project had 200 testers bringing together professionals and individuals. In addition, Orange has also collaborated with Ericsson for tests on connected vehicles and on the IoT.

To date, the operator has already covered around 400 municipalities with its 5G network. According to Orange, 5G coverage is considered total when 80% of inhabitants have access to it.

Free

Unlike its counterparts, Free communicated little about the 5G project . Although he was the last to announce his participation in its deployment in France, he said he had the majority of 5G sites in service. Indeed, it has 10,239 700 MHz and 3.5 GHz sites in mainland France.

5G in France: its advantages

5G enables the implementation and development of multiple technologies. It offers the possibility of realizing and rationalizing a large number of innovative technological solutions, such as IoT, virtual reality or autonomous vehicles.

In addition, reduced latency is a key element among this influx of possibilities. For the needs of self-driving cars, the response time and data transmission speed must be near instantaneous. 5G offers this possibility. Thanks to this progress, it is possible to predict the future, not so distant, where it will be possible to watch a film while leaving the vehicle in control of the journey.

The IoT and home automation benefit from this favorable development of the 5G network. Indeed, the increased capacities and density of this standard offer the possibility of having even more efficient connected objects . For example, sneakers establishing in real time the statistics necessary to carry out the activities. A range of devices from a simple refrigerator to a subway can now be continuously monitored.

This trend makes it possible to anticipate malfunctions and possible repairs even before these devices break down. Similarly, systematizing motion detectors helps reduce energy consumption