We’re accelerating our transition to Very High-Speed Broadband (THD) to meet evolving digital needs. Fiber, being more efficient, sustainable, and better suited to today’s demands, is steadily replacing the copper network that has connected France for over half a century. Following our announcement in late 2019, we’re continuing our gradual closure of this historic network in close partnership with local authorities and public institutions.
Building the future: mapping the journey to high-speed broadband
We’re orchestrating the gradual shutdown of the copper network by 2030, with an ambitious project starting on 31 January 2025 that marks a crucial milestone towards universal high-speed broadband. 162 municipalities, along with 7 pilot locations, will become the first to switch to superfast broadband. This transition follows a structured, progressive schedule, organized into seven municipal clusters, with a carefully planned scaling approach.
Under ARCEP’s supervision, this transition relies on seamless collaboration between commercial operators, infrastructure providers deploying fiber across regions, local authorities, and councils to ensure a smooth, well-managed closure. The process unfolds in two stages: discontinuing copper offers followed by the technical decommissioning. We maintain 36-month notice periods from closure announcements and ensure at least 12 months between the end of the sales period and technical shutdown. Our commitment: no closure without a high-speed alternative in place. We’re also coordinating with operators through Orange Wholesale, keeping internet service providers informed of key switch-off milestones to help them guide their customers through this transition.
The challenge of enabling a connected and sustainable future
Since 2013, we have been actively deploying fiber optics across France, backed by local authorities and government support, driving the nation's digital transformation. By September 2024, 90% of mainland France's premises and homes had fiber connectivity, positioning France among Europe's most connected nations. Our goal: universal fiber access, including French Overseas Territories, before the complete copper shutdown in 2030.
This transition marks a pivotal moment for France and its citizens. The copper network, France's connectivity backbone massively deployed in the 1970s, now lags behind fiber while consuming four times more energy. Operating these parallel networks no longer makes sense. Fiber's advantages include:
- Up to 20% higher speeds and performance
- 1.5% lower incident rates
- Enhanced resilience to climate events
- Superior environmental efficiency
High-speed solutions for everyone
We provide comprehensive high-speed broadband solutions tailored to all users, including those in remote locations. While fiber offers stable, fast connections, solutions like 4G Home and 5G+ Home serve less populated areas. For isolated or hard-to-reach locations, our Orange Satellite service ensures vital internet connectivity.
We also offer solutions for those wanting to maintain their landline service without an internet subscription, through fiber or mobile network options. This ensures a smooth transition for the remaining 3 million copper users (Source: INSEE), including businesses still relying on this technology.
Grid modernization: building tomorrow’s infrastructure
Modernizing the network means responding to evolving needs, 4.5 hours of daily video consumption, widespread remote work, and increasing online administrative services. With speeds up to 60% higher than copper, fiber meets the growing connectivity demands of individuals, businesses, and public services. This transition represents a crucial strategic and infrastructural milestone for us.
But modernising also means responsibly managing the end-of-life of the copper network: a major industrial project. As a responsible operator, we launched a call for tenders in January 2025 for the removal of the copper network and are planning a second call for tenders in spring 2025 for its recycling, once it has been removed.
