Sophie
16 July 2026 · 5 min read
Arcep, the French telecoms regulator, published on 19 February 2026 the seventh edition of its observatory of fibre-to-the-home (FttH) network quality, based on data collected through September 2025. The overall picture is encouraging — France remains one of the European countries where fibre is most widely deployed — but several signals deserve subscribers' attention, especially on the networks operated by Iliad (Free).
Photo: Unsplash — fibre optic remains the reference infrastructure in France.
A historically low outage rate
Over the April-September 2025 period, the outage rate on FttH networks in metropolitan France stood at 0.11% of active access lines. This is the lowest level ever recorded by the observatory, and Arcep notes that the number of networks exceeding the critical 1% threshold has fallen sharply: from 9 networks in 2024 down to 3 networks today.
In practice, this means a fibre subscriber is, on average, deprived of service less than 1 minute for every 15 hours of subscription. Nationally, it is a tangible improvement, even though the average hides significant gaps between zones.
Subscribers affected by an outage: 1.74%
The observatory also tracks the percentage of subscribers hit by at least one outage over the past twelve months. This figure is higher than the per-access outage rate, because some subscribers experience several incidents. The rolling annual average stands at 1.74%, with a reading of 2.0% in September 2025.
This is the indicator that speaks most directly to the end user: statistically, one fibre subscriber out of 58 has experienced at least one outage over the past year. For comparison, the outage rate on rural ADSL — before its gradual shutdown — frequently exceeded 5%.
Iliad (Free) on the rise, due to a network modification plan
The most watched item in this edition concerns the Iliad network — the parent company of Free — whose indicators are rising noticeably. Arcep explains this deterioration by a structural modification plan underway on Iliad's networks, scheduled to end before 31 December 2026. During the works, some interventions generate more outages and reconnections.
This kind of project is common: it often consists of switching the network architecture from point-to-point to a more efficient PON mode, or migrating active equipment. It is technically positive in the long run, but penalising for subscribers during the transition. If you are a Free customer and have noticed micro-outages for several months, they are probably linked to these operations.
Photo: Unsplash — maintenance work on a fibre mutualisation point.
Failed connections: 5.88% on average
The other striking indicator is the connection failure rate: the share of appointments where the building operator could not activate the customer's line. The national average reached 5.88% in September 2025, and 31 networks still exceed 11%.
These failures often result in a wasted visit — billed or not — and several weeks of delay before the line is actually delivered. They are concentrated on public-initiative networks — the PINs operated by Axione, Altitude Infra, Covage, etc. — where lower density and distance from mutualisation points make interventions more complex.
Defects: the catch-up is accelerating
Good news, however, on the remediation of defects: the national rate rose from 73% in February 2025 to 82% in August 2025. A defect is a fault spotted on a mutualisation point or a connection — bent cable, faulty splice, missing label — that degrades quality of service over time. Orange and Bouygues Telecom are leading the way, while SFR and Free are improving noticeably.
This is a long-term maintenance indicator: without remediation, defects pile up and eventually trigger outages or reduced speeds. The current catch-up shows the market has taken the issue seriously.
What this changes for Texto SMS Gratuit users
For our readers, fibre quality has a direct impact: Texto SMS Gratuit works from any browser, but a stable connection improves message deliverability — especially for repeated sends. If you notice repeated micro-outages, two reflexes:
- Identify your network on Ma connexion internet (Arcep) to find out whether you are in a work zone.
- Test your line by plugging a PC in via Ethernet cable: if the problem disappears, it is your Wi-Fi; if it persists, report it to your operator and mention the observatory's public data.
For everyday use — sending an SMS from the homepage, checking the packs or contacting us — fibre remains by far the most reliable medium.
Towards an economic framework for PINs
Arcep is not just measuring: it is also preparing the economic framework for public-initiative networks. A public consultation was opened on 24 March 2026 on the maintenance in operational condition of public-initiative FttH networks, taking into account rural specificities (longer routes, lower take-up rate, exposure to weather hazards). Responses are due by 22 May 2026 at 6:00 pm, and 43 stakeholders already took part in the first wave in summer 2025.
The challenge is to calibrate wholesale tariffs so that operating small networks remains viable, without offloading the cost onto the end subscriber. This is an issue to follow closely, particularly in the municipalities where fibre has only recently arrived — often replacing an ADSL offer doomed to disappear by 2030.
The key takeaways
- The fibre outage rate in metropolitan France stands at 0.11% over the April-September 2025 period, a record low.
- 1.74% of subscribers have experienced at least one outage over the year — worth comparing with past ADSL practice.
- The Iliad (Free) network is rising noticeably, due to a structural modification plan in progress until end-2026.
- The connection failure rate remains high (5.88%), with 31 networks above the 11% threshold.
- Defect remediation is progressing, a sign of better long-term maintenance.
To dig further, you can read the official FttH observatory page on the Arcep website, revisit our article on the end of copper in France or write to us if you experience a persistent outage.
