Marc
21 July 2026 · 6 min read
On 17 July 2026, the French Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty published the call for applications for the presidency of Arcep, the French telecoms, postal and press distribution regulator. The term of Laure de La Raudière, who has held the position since January 2021, ends on 3 January 2027 — when a new president will take the helm for a six-year, non-revocable and non-renewable term. Applications are open until 31 August 2026 at midnight. Here is what you need to know about the timeline, the eligibility criteria, the names being discussed, and the make-or-break dossiers the successor will inherit.
Photo: Unsplash — Arcep is an independent administrative authority, but its president is appointed by decree in the Council of Ministers on the proposal of the Minister of Economy.
Why this succession matters
Arcep — the Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse — is no ordinary agency. It acts as the referee of the French telecoms, postal and press market: it awards spectrum, sets operators' obligations (Orange, Free, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, as well as alternative ISPs, professional operators and satellite players), monitors service quality, sanctions abuses and publishes the reference observatories for the sector (mobile coverage, fibre quality, customer satisfaction, pricing). It also delivers opinions on draft laws and issues the big structural decisions — from the « New Deal Mobile » to the copper network shutdown and the 2G/3G switch-off.
Changing presidents means changing regulation. The six-year, non-renewable term means Laure de La Raudière's mandate (2021-2027) cannot be extended, and a new face will set the course of the regulator until 2033.
Timeline and appointment mechanics
The process, governed by the French Postal and Electronic Communications Code (CPCE), unfolds in several steps:
| Step | Date / Deadline |
|---|---|
| Publication of the call for applications | 17 July 2026 |
| Application deadline | 31 August 2026 at midnight |
| Pre-selection by ministry services | September 2026 |
| Hearing of up to 5 candidates by a panel of qualified personalities | October 2026 |
| Recommendation to the President of the Republic | November 2026 |
| Parliamentary hearing of the shortlisted candidate | December 2026 |
| Appointment by decree in the Council of Ministers | December 2026 / January 2027 |
| Taking office | 3 January 2027 |
The name of the new president will therefore be known before the end of 2026, with a handover in early January.
Eligibility criteria
The call for applications published by the Direction générale des Entreprises (DGE, the ministry's enterprise directorate) spells out the profile expected. Candidates must demonstrate economic, legal or technical qualifications in at least one of Arcep's areas of competence: telecoms, postal services, press distribution, digital economy. Senior leadership experience (public administration, an operator, a regulatory authority or an international body) is expected. The age limit is 65 at the time of appointment, in line with the CPCE.
A declaration of interests and a deontological commitment must accompany the file, along with a CV, a cover letter and a detailed information sheet. The Arcep presidency is incompatible with any elected mandate and with holding interests in any company of the regulated sector.
Expected candidates
No candidate has publicly declared themselves at this stage, but several names keep surfacing in expert discussions. Three internal or close-to-Arcep profiles are mentioned:
- Mireille Clapot, member of the Arcep board since 2021, an engineer by training, a former local elected official and former rapporteur of the law for a Digital Republic.
- Xavier Merlin, also a board member, ingénieur général des mines, a specialist in spectrum and frequency issues.
- Thomas Courbe, Director General of the DGE, who is running the call for applications on the ministry side and knows the fibre, mobile and satellite dossiers inside-out.
Beyond these names, several external profiles are also in the mix: former presidents of sectoral regulators, retiring operator executives, magistrates and economists specialised in digital. The tradition is for Arcep to stay above political cleavages — Laure de La Raudière, who came from civil society (UDI member of parliament from 2007 to 2020), was appointed through a similar procedure.
The dossiers the successor will inherit
The next president of Arcep will take on a particularly full agenda, starting with the final stretch of the Orange copper network shutdown, which will run until 2030 with millions of subscribers to migrate to fibre. The regulator will also have to steer the 2G and 3G switch-off by 2028-2029, support the rollout of 5G standalone, set the rules for 6G (already in preparation for the 2030 horizon), and arbitrate the rise of direct-to-device satellite communications from smartphones.
Three other dossiers promise to be structural: the environmental regulation of operators (data center energy consumption, mobile network sobriety), the deployment of artificial intelligence in networks (dynamic optimisation, traffic spike management) and the concentration of the mobile market if the SFR / Orange / Free / Bouygues deal leads to a three-operator market.
Why this appointment matters to individual users
Even though the decision is taken in Bercy, this succession will have concrete consequences on your mobile plan, your fibre subscription and the quality of service of your operator. Arcep sets every year the regulatory framework that determines mobile coverage in rural areas, the price of 5G spectrum (which ultimately feeds through to plan prices), operators' quality-of-service obligations (measured and published every quarter) and the rules of the game on number portability.
Tough, independent regulation is what has given France one of the most competitive mobile markets in Europe — and therefore some of the lowest prices on the continent. The choice of the next president will weigh on the maintenance of that balance over the next six years.
Following the appointment live
The call for applications is available on the Direction générale des Entreprises website. The key milestones (shortlist, parliamentary hearing, appointment) will be covered on the Arcep news page and in the specialist press (Clubic, Les Échos, La Tribune).
To follow all the regulator's decisions that shape the French telecoms market — and their consequences for your plan and your fibre line — you can browse our blog regularly and subscribe to our RSS feed. For any question on a telecoms topic, feel free to use our contact page.
