The Texto SMS Gratuit team
12 July 2026 · 4 min read
Every summer, the map of French mobile networks changes shape. Big cities empty out, the coastline, campsites and mountain valleys fill up, and data traffic can triple compared with spring in some areas. On 11 July 2026, the chief technology officer of Orange France, Nicolas Drouillet, publicly detailed the measures the operator has taken so the network doesn't buckle at the worst possible moment.
2 million extra customers, 100,000 foreign visitors
The numbers show the scale of the challenge: Orange says it hosts more than two million additional customers in tourist areas every summer, plus roughly 100,000 foreign visitors roaming on its network. That load isn't spread evenly — it concentrates on a few hundred municipalities, often built for an off-season population ten times smaller.
The summer plan, in detail
Preparations start months before the first holidaymakers leave. For the 2026 season, Orange reports:
| Measure | Volume |
|---|---|
| Mobile units (temporary masts) | 24 |
| Network re-tuning operations | over 200 |
| New mobile sites brought into service | close to 30 |
| Sites under reinforced monitoring | 500 |
The operator also says 70% of its coastal mobile sites are now 5G-equipped. Once the holidaymakers arrive, monitoring continues: the 500 priority sites are watched permanently, with capacity adjusted mid-season if needed.
A network that was already dense
The plan builds on a substantial base of antennas. According to the ANFR observatory as of 1 July 2026, Orange operates the largest 4G footprint in France:
| Operator | 4G sites in service | 5G sites on 3.5 GHz |
|---|---|---|
| Orange | 32,840 | 14,310 |
| Bouygues Telecom | 31,807 | 11,262 |
| Free Mobile | 31,226 | 11,209 |
| SFR | 30,805 | 10,751 |
The 3.5 GHz band is the one that actually delivers throughput and capacity — it is what makes the difference when thousands of smartphones connect to the same mast on a beach. Orange keeps a clear lead there, even though Free Mobile runs more 5G sites overall (mostly on 700 MHz, a frequency that travels far but carries less capacity). We unpacked those nuances in our piece on the ANFR 5G observatory.
Why SMS remains the summer fallback
Reinforcing a network doesn't make it bulletproof. During peaks — Bastille Day fireworks, a concert, a beach at 6 p.m. on a Sunday — data is the first to suffer: stalling video, messaging apps stuck on "sending". An SMS, by contrast, weighs a few dozen bytes and travels over priority signalling channels. That is exactly why it underpins FR-Alert emergency alerts broadcast via cell broadcast.
A few useful habits on holiday:
- Favour SMS when data saturates: it often gets through when WhatsApp doesn't.
- Check coverage before you leave using the Arcep voice and SMS maps.
- In persistent not-spots, keep an eye on satellite SMS, now reaching recent smartphones.
- Abroad, remember the EU roaming rules before firing off messages.
In short
Orange's summer plan illustrates something most people never see: the quality of your network in August is decided back in February, in monitoring rooms and on mast construction sites. The other operators run comparable campaigns, and the results are measured every year by Arcep in its satisfaction barometer.
And if your plan runs dry on holiday, our free SMS form works from any browser, with no sign-up and no ads. For bulk sending, see our SMS packs, browse the FAQ or contact us.
