Telecoms: an investigation by Arcep torpedoing Free’s 5G – archyworldys

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It looks like a snub to Free. Xavier Niel’s operator was not spared in the latest Arcep investigation on the quality of mobile services in France. On the 5G front, Free, which claims the “Largest network in France”, posted poor performance vis-à-vis its rivals Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. In terms of connection speed, the downlink speeds of its customers to this technology – with a 5G subscription and a compatible smartphone – amount, on average, to only 31 Mbit / s nationwide. . Arcep specifies that this figure varies little “Between dense areas and intermediate or rural areas”. By way of comparison, Orange has a significantly higher average, 142 Mbit / s, across France. ” THEOrange 5G users in dense areas, where most of their 5G sites are deployed, have an average of 227 Mbit / s “, adds the telecoms regulator. The incumbent operator is followed by SFR (average 84 Mbit / s), and Bouygues Telecom (71 Mbit / s).

(Credits: Arcep)

These results appear to be much lower than those of nPerf published last August. According to this barometer, Free was still at the back of the pack in terms of 5G downlink speeds. But these were much higher, at 118 Mbit / s. The ranking was then dominated by SFR (308 Mbit / s), followed by Orange (295 Mbit / s), and finally Bouygues Telecom (148 Mbit / s). Big difference with the Arcep survey: nPerf only retained in its work the tests carried out in 5G. While the telecoms regulator recorded all the measurements carried out – including those in 2G, 3G or 4G – as soon as they were carried out with a 5G compatible terminal coupled with a subscription to this technology.

For Free, “there is a subject around the protocol used”

Very surprisingly in the Arcep survey, the performance of Free appears to be less good for 5G users than that of 4G users! Thus, the average speed of Free in dense areas for 2G / 3G / 4G users is 47 Mbit / s. That is to say much more than the 32 Mbit / s recorded for 2G / 3G / 4G and 5G users when they access this network … The observation is similar in intermediate and rural areas. Free is the only operator systematically in this case. Asked by The gallery, Arcep is unable to provide us with an explanation.

Also interviewed by The gallery, Iliad, the parent company of Free, affirms, in general, “That there is a subject around the protocol used, as Arcep indicated in its communication, and that these performances on 5G speed are not reflected in the feedback from our subscribers,” neither in the measurements made by others such as the nPerf or RNC Mobile barometer, nor in the commercial dynamics over the quarter ”.

Orange pikes

Arcep’s figures for Free’s 5G have, however, not escaped the competitors of Xavier Niel’s operator. As evidenced by this severe pique of Laurentino Lavezzi, the director of public affairs of Orange: “Sometimes, there are those who market a 5G ‘at no extra cost’, but it is even less efficient than their 4G”, he criticizes on Twitter. ” Fortunately “, he adds, that Free’s mobile offer is ” ‘without engagement’ “. With to split, ironically, from a ” Thanks WHO ? “, in reference to the slogan “Thank you who? Thank you Free ”from its competitor.

CaptureLaurentino

(Credits: Twitter screenshot)

What is certain is that Free has made a different choice than its rivals to bring 5G. In addition to the new 3.5 GHz frequencies dedicated to this technology, Xavier Niel’s operator massively uses its 700 MHz frequencies, which are also used for 4G. These are low frequencies. They have the advantage of carrying much further than the 3.5 GHz frequencies. But on the other hand, they are less efficient in terms of flow.

Strong criticism of Free’s 5G strategy

This choice of Free has long aroused the ire of competition. Without naming their rival by name, Orange and SFR have denounced, for nearly a year, this strategy aimed, according to them, at sacrificing the quality of service in order to claim, from a marketing point of view, greater coverage of the territory from of the general public. As evidenced by this exit of Grégory Rabuel, the CEO of SFR, in our columns in November 2020, one month before Free draws its 5G offer:

“Some competitors are likely to make extensive use of the 700 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz frequency bands for 5G., he said. This will allow them to display a 5G logo on the smartphone, to publish very important coverage maps, but with a quality of service equal to or less than that of 4G. This can be disappointing for customers who have bought a new phone, subscribed to new offers, but will only benefit from ‘degraded 5G’ in the end. “

Today, the Arcep investigation seems, to the chagrin of Free, to bring water to its mill.