In 2018, France’s telecom regulator, ARCEP, launched the New Deal Mobile, a landmark agreement designed to rebalance spectrum allocations among the country’s top operators in exchange for firm commitments to expand 4G coverage. Under the terms of the deal, Orange, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, and Free Mobile agreed to blanket metropolitan France with 4G service by the end of 2020, a promise that sparked high hopes among consumers and policymakers alike.
Now, nearly four years after the deadline, large swaths of rural and semi-urban territories remain underserved or entirely uncovered. Frustrated by the slow pace of deployment and what it deems weak justifications from the carriers, ARCEP has issued formal notices to all four operators, reminding them of their obligations and setting a hard compliance deadline of August 4, 2025. Failure to meet that deadline could trigger financial penalties running into the tens of millions of euros.
Avoiding Service Gaps in Rural Communities
France’s rural communities were singled out as a core focus of the New Deal Mobile, which designated specific “priority zones” requiring immediate attention. These areas, often characterized by hilly terrain or low population density, have historically struggled to attract investment from carriers due to higher rollout costs and lower expected returns.
Despite these challenges, ARCEP expected operators to leverage state support and streamlined administrative processes to accelerate tower construction and antenna activation. In its notice, the regulator criticized the carriers for citing bureaucratic hurdles and access limitations without providing detailed documentation. According to ARCEP, these explanations fall short of demonstrating genuine progress toward meeting coverage targets.
Operators Lagging Behind Commitments
Under the New Deal Mobile framework, each operator was assigned a specific number of sites to build and activate. Orange committed to bringing 155 new sites online, Bouygues Telecom to 153, SFR to 261, and Free Mobile to 310. Yet ARCEP’s latest status report reveals that only a fraction of those sites are operational.
Orange has yet to service 68 of its 155 sites, even though construction on 16 sites is reportedly complete. Bouygues Telecom still needs to activate 152 locations, SFR has 164 pending activations out of 261, and Free Mobile lags farthest behind with more than 150 sites not yet switched on. In total, fewer than 10 percent of the required priority-zone sites are live, leaving many rural residents without reliable mobile broadband access.
Site Activation Breakdown
Breaking down the numbers by operator uncovers alarming details. Orange, the largest provider by market share, has activated only one of the 43 sites where it serves as the lead operator. Bouygues Telecom, with 38 lead-site obligations, has likewise turned on just one.
SFR and Free Mobile, designated as primary operators for 40 and 36 sites respectively, have failed to activate a single one. These zero-activation figures underscore a collective failure to uphold the most urgent commitments of the New Deal Mobile, prompting ARCEP to step in with an ultimatum.
Regulatory Pressure and Upcoming Deadlines
While the August 2025 deadline looms, ARCEP has been clear about its willingness to impose sanctions if carriers remain noncompliant. Potential fines could be structured as per-site penalties, designed to incentivize swift action. In previous regulatory interventions, carriers have paid millions of euros in fines, a scenario each operator is keen to avoid.
ARCEP’s statements stress that the onus is now on the operators to submit detailed roadmaps for completing pending deployments. These plans must include firm timelines, site-by-site progress reports, and explanations of how administrative or logistical obstacles will be overcome. The regulator has reserved the right to publish operators’ responses publically, adding reputational risk to the financial stakes.
Lessons from International Markets
Across the globe, telecom regulators have grappled with similar rollout challenges. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has used auction incentives, funding pools, and stringent coverage benchmarks to encourage carriers like AT&T and Verizon to expand 4G—and now 5G—infrastructure into underserved areas.
France’s approach mirrors these strategies by tying spectrum access to coverage obligations, yet the current delays suggest that stronger enforcement mechanisms may be necessary. Observers point to programs such as the U.S. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund as models for disbursing subsidies only after carriers meet clearly defined milestones.
What Comes Next for Consumers?
For French citizens still grappling with patchy 4G service, ARCEP’s intervention offers hope that network quality will finally improve. Enhanced coverage can unlock opportunities for remote work, telemedicine, and digital education in regions that have been left behind in the mobile revolution.
However, the next 18 months will be critical. Consumers and local authorities will be watching closely to see if the operators deliver on revised rollout schedules. Should carriers fall short again, ARCEP’s financial sanctions are expected to escalate, potentially erasing any remaining goodwill and motivating more decisive infrastructure investments.
With a firm regulatory deadline set and international examples highlighting both successes and pitfalls, the countdown is underway. By August 4, 2025, Orange, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, and Free Mobile must demonstrate that their network commitments are more than just promises on paper—they are essential steps toward connecting all of France to the digital economy.
