The Texto SMS Gratuit team
20 July 2026 · 8 min read
On 12 November 2025, Arcep (France's electronic communications regulator) adopted Decision No. 2025-2099-RDPI: a formal notice ordering Réseau Optique de France (ROF) — the infrastructure subsidiary of the Iliad (Free) group — to complete, by 31 December 2026, the installation of every mutualisation point required to cover the premises that depend on the 93 PMGCs (Points de Mutualisation de Grande Capacité — Large-Capacity Mutualisation Points) it operates, mainly in Paris and the very dense urban zones. For fibre subscribers, this is a technical file with very concrete consequences: it is precisely the PMGC architecture that is behind failed connections, lengthening delays and a competitor base that cannot freely intervene on part of the network. Here is what you need to understand, and what it changes for you if you live in a commune cabled by Free.
Photo: Unsplash — every mutualisation point is a required waypoint when connecting a building to fibre.
What is a PMGC, and why is it a problem?
To understand Arcep's decision, you have to go back to the "historic" fibre network architecture in very dense zones (ZTD — Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille and a few other large urban areas). Free deployed an unusual architecture in these zones: the Large-Capacity Mutualisation Points are installed inside Free's NROs (Optical Local Exchanges), rather than in street cabinets that are easily accessible as the "standard" FttH architecture would have it.
The technical consequence: to connect a subscriber, the retail operator (Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free itself, or an alternative ISP) has to ask ROF for access to the PMGC and wait for an ROF technician to be available. It is this dependency that creates most of the problems reported by Arcep and by rival operators.
The shortcomings identified by Arcep
The investigation opened in 2023 (Decision No. 2023-1296-RDPI) and extended in 2024 (Decision No. 2024-2502-RDPI) brought to light systemic malfunctions on the ROF network:
- A 37 % average failure rate on connections over the ROF PMGC infrastructure, on the June 2023 – June 2025 period (45 % on lines to be built, 24 % on existing lines).
- Impossible for third-party technicians to access the PMGC premises on their own, even though that is one of the founding principles of the shared FttH architecture.
- About 70 % behind schedule compared to the initial structural transformation plan ROF had committed to.
- Partial halt of sales by Orange and Bouygues Telecom on certain PMGCs, a sign that the situation had become untenable for competitors.
To put these figures in perspective, the national FttH connection failure rate in mainland France stood at 5.88 % in September 2025 (according to the 7th Arcep observatory on fibre network quality) — a level already considered high. On the ROF network, the rate is therefore six times higher than the national average.
What the notice imposes on ROF
Article L. 36-11 of the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code (CPCE) allows Arcep to issue formal notices when an operator fails to meet its obligations. In this decision, the regulator orders ROF to:
- Finalise, by 31 December 2026, the installation of every mutualisation point required to cover the premises that depend on the 93 identified PMGCs.
- Guarantee third-party operators effective access to those mutualisation points, so they can intervene on their own.
- Send Arcep regular progress reports on the construction work.
The timetable ROF itself announced provides for completion by mid-2026 for the ZTD (very dense zones, including inner Paris) and end of 2026 for the ZMD (less dense zones). The notice makes this timetable legally binding: if it is not respected, ROF faces a sanction procedure that can go as far as a multi-million-euro fine and, as a last resort, a temporary withdrawal of resource allocations (numbering blocks or spectrum blocks).
Why Arcep is targeting PMGCs specifically
In the "standard" FttH model — the one you find in less dense, rural, or AMII/AMEL zones — the mutualisation point sits in a street cabinet, badge-accessible to technicians from every operator. An Orange customer who wants to be connected in a rural commune in Brittany is wired up by a mandated technician, without depending on a specific intervention by the infrastructure operator.
In Paris and the major cities, the PMGC architecture challenges this principle: the mutualisation point is on Free's premises, and Free decides who comes in and when. For Arcep, that is a breach of mutualisation — one of the pillars of the French FttH model. It is also a barrier to competition: a customer who wants to leave Free for another FttH provider risks seeing their connection drag on for weeks, because access to the PMGC is blocked.
The notice therefore aims to bring ROF into line with the regulatory framework and protect both consumers and rival operators. The timeline is tight but not impossible: ROF has already publicly stated its intention to migrate its PMGCs to a "standard" architecture; the regulator is simply making that timetable enforceable.
What it concretely changes for subscribers
For Free subscribers already connected via a PMGC, the notice changes nothing in the short term: the line keeps working. But if a fault occurs, intervention times may stay long until the transformation is complete.
For subscribers of another operator (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, alternative ISPs) waiting for a connection in an area covered by a PMGC, this is rather good news: the notice paves the way for a return to normal by mid-2027. Practically, things should improve on three fronts:
- Shorter connection times: a third-party technician will be able to intervene without depending on ROF authorisation.
- Fewer failed connections: the 37 % rate should mechanically converge towards the national average (5–6 %).
- Resumption of sales on the PMGCs where Orange and Bouygues had suspended marketing.
For future subscribers in a building wired up via a PMGC, this is a positive signal but one that has to be confirmed: we will have to wait for the completion of the work by mid-2026 / end of 2026 and probably a first Arcep review in early 2027 to know whether the transformation has actually solved the problems.
What about SMS?
The topic may seem far removed from sending SMS, but it is less so than it looks: a subscriber whose box or 4G/5G router is down because their fibre connection has been dragging on for weeks is also a subscriber who can no longer receive alert SMS messages (FR-Alert, operator alerts) through IP-based services. They are also a web user who falls back on their mobile plan — and who potentially blows through their data envelope.
For a service like ours, which relies on French numbers and on the quality of the network to deliver its messages, the improvement in FttH quality is indirectly relevant: fewer fibre outages means more chance of the SMS reaching a recipient who actually reads it. As we have already discussed in our article on Arcep's observatory of fibre network quality, the room for improvement is real, in particular on the networks operated by Iliad.
For users who still face fibre connection issues, the right reflex remains the same:
- Test eligibility on the Arcep website (fibre rollout map) and on the retail operators' sites.
- Report a failed connection on the "J'alerte l'Arcep" platform — every documented report feeds the regulator's monitoring of the infrastructure operator.
- As a last resort, request mediation through the electronic communications ombudsman.
Recap timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 15 June 2023 | Decision No. 2023-1296-RDPI: opening of the investigation against Free Infrastructure (now ROF) |
| 12 November 2024 | Decision No. 2024-2502-RDPI: notice on the completeness of fibre rollouts |
| 12 November 2025 | Decision No. 2025-2099-RDPI: notice to complete the 93 PMGCs by the end of 2026 |
| 7 May 2025 | Arcep publishes several notices on the fibre rollout completeness obligation |
| Mid-2026 | End of work announced by ROF for the ZTD (Paris, large cities) |
| 31 December 2026 | Deadline set by the notice: completion of the PMGCs |
| 2027 | Arcep review, possible sanction procedure if the deadline is missed |
| Upcoming | Arcep review of the actual transformation of the PMGCs |
To follow the progress of this file, you can check the Arcep "Key fibre dates" page, and for any practical question about sending SMS, our FAQ or the contact page.
Photo: Unsplash — behind every successful fibre connection, technicians who must be able to access mutualisation points freely.
Bottom line: with a connection failure rate six times higher than the national average and 70 % behind schedule on its transformation plan, Réseau Optique de France (Iliad/Free subsidiary) no longer had a choice: Arcep has turned its internal timetable into a legally binding deadline, 31 December 2026. For Paris-area and very dense zone subscribers cabled by Free, this is the hope of finally fast connections, of a competitive market that can intervene freely, and of a quality of service finally aligned with the rest of the country. For ROF, this is an ultimatum: on 1 January 2027, the regulator will decide whether the commitment has been honoured.
