According to the most recent monthly report made public by France’s spectrum company ANFR, there were 36,295 authorised 5G networks in France as of October 1st, of which 26,589 have been certified technically active by the local mobile networks. As per ANFR, the number of 5G services that were permitted during September jumped by 1.4% from the prior month.
The 700 MHz Spectrum Is Home to 20,266 Permitted Domains, According to ANFR
The company claimed that almost all of the 5G networks have already been certified on mobile browsers that are currently using 2G, 3G, or 4G technologies. Mobile operators are now providing 5G services in France using frequencies in the 700 MHz, 2.1 GHz, and 3.55 GHz bands. Within the 700 MHz spectrum (Free Cell), ANFR stated that a total of 20,266 websites have been registered, of which 15,338 are already functionally active. Furthermore, according to ANFR, while 9,608 of the 15,572 websites licenced for use in the 2.1 GHz band (Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and SFR) are legally active. In the interval, Bouygues Telecom, Free Cell, Orange, and SFR have received approval for 21,130 websites in the 3.5 GHz band, of which 13,801 have been deemed practically functional. By the end of September, Free Cell has 15,345 operating 5G services, followed by Bouygues Telecom (8,404), SFR (7,284), and Orange (4,685). The business claimed that the mobile providers share some of the 5G websites that have been authorized. In addition, as of October 1, 58,517 4G networks were authorised in France’s main area, of which 53,645 are already operational. Free Cell, an Illiad subsidiary, earlier noted that 77% of the country’s population is now covered by its 5G coverage, up from 52% in May 2021. Free Cell stated that 9,100 localities in France are currently covered by their 5G network. Facilities in the 700 MHz band, as well as those in the 3.5 Ghz frequency band, which Free Cell purchased in a French spectrum auction in 2020, are used by its 5G service. In the interim, Bouygues Telecom began offering 5G service in December 2020 in 20 French cities. Currently, the telco provides 5G protection to more than 10,000 French cities and towns. Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Good, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, and Lille are just a few of the major towns where the carrier offers 5G coverage. Even by end of 2021, French telco Orange had already installed 5G in around 900 towns across the country, providing coverage to 38% of people living in urban areas. Orange’s 5G network has initially covered a few cities, including Marseille, Good, Le Mans, and Angers. Early in December 2020, Orange began offering commercial 5G services in 15 municipalities. SFR started offering its 5G business community in Good in the interim in November 2020. According to the company website, SFR currently provides 5G services in 4,400 municipalities in France.
