France Aims for Widespread Fiber Access as Orange Expands Network

France Aims for Widespread Fiber Access as Orange Expands Network

(IN BRIEF) Orange and the French government have agreed to accelerate the deployment of fiber optic broadband across France by 2025. This includes connecting an additional 1,120,000 homes in the AMII zone and focusing on areas with low fiber coverage. Orange will introduce an “on-demand” offer for customers not eligible for fiber within six months of their request and continue to offer subsidized fiber access for eligible low-income households. The aim is to make fiber widely available and contribute to the government’s digital inclusion initiatives.

(PRESS RELEASE) PARIS, 8-Nov-2023 — /EuropaWire/ — Orange S.A. (EPA: ORA), a French multinational telecommunications group, and the French government have announced a new agreement to accelerate the deployment of fiber optic broadband across France by 2025. Under this agreement, Orange will expand its fiber deployment in the AMII zone¹, with a commitment to connect an additional 1,120,000 homes to fiber by the end of 2025.

In areas with disparities in fiber coverage, Orange will prioritize efforts to connect more than 140,000 homes to the fiber network by 2024. Additionally, Orange will introduce an “on-demand” offer, allowing customers who are not eligible for fiber within six months of their request² to access fiber until the copper network is phased out. This approach aims to provide greater flexibility and customer-centric solutions.

In densely populated areas, Orange plans to connect over 300,000 homes and businesses to fiber by 2025. A trial of on-demand deployment will be conducted in two major cities within this region in 2024.

Furthermore, Orange will continue to offer subsidized fiber access through the “Coup de Pouce” (Helping Hand) program for eligible low-income households³ until at least 2027. This program includes internet, TV, and phone access, a refurbished laptop, and digital coaching.

Christel Heydemann, Orange CEO, expressed Orange’s commitment to working with the government, said: “After making a major contribution to the success of the France Très Haut Débit plan (France’s superfast broadband plan) in 2022, Orange is once again working with the government to ensure the widespread deployment of fiber by 2025. Having already covered 21 million of the 36 million eligible premises in France, we’re determined to make this major project a national success, benefiting as many people as possible. I want to thank all Orange teams and partners contributing to the success of this major industrial project.”

This agreement underscores Orange’s dedication to expanding high-speed broadband access across France and supporting the government’s digital inclusion initiatives.

¹AMII zones (call for expression of investment interest zones) are the least densely populated private-initiative zones in France

²In accordance with current regulations and the offer for access to the terminal part of Orange FttH lines outside the most densely populated zones dated November 1, 2023

³The Coup de Pouce offer is reserved for people with a CAF or MSA family income of less than or equal to €700 and ASPA beneficiaries

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Florentin Soonckindt
Tom Wright

SOURCE: ORANGE