Orange and the French government announce that they have reached a new agreement on the widespread deployment of fiber by 2025. This agreement includes a proposal for a new deployment commitment by Orange in the AMII zone.[1] The agreement will soon be submitted to ARCEP for an advisory opinion before being definitively approved by the government.
Within the AMII perimeter, Orange is stepping up the pace of deployment, and is committed to bringing fiber to an additional 1,120,000 homes by the end of 2025.
Where deployment disparities between different urban areas exist, additional efforts will be made in areas with the lowest fiber coverage within this perimeter to make more than 140,000 homes be connectable to a fiber network by 2024.
Orange will also provide an “on demand” offer providing connectability to all customers who are not eligible for fiber within six months of their request[2]. This offer will be available until the copper network is shut down. By introducing on-demand connections to complement industrial deployments by geographical sector, Orange is changing the way it manages its deployments in the AMII zone.
This proposal will deliver widespread fiber availability in AMII zones by the end of 2025.
In the most densely populated areas, Orange is committed to continuing the deployments, with the aim of making more than 300,000 homes and businesses connectable to a fiber network by 2025. In 2024, the Group will conduct a trial of on-demand deployment for its customers in two major cities within this perimeter.
Last but not least, Orange will continue to offer fiber access at a subsidized rate for eligible households until at least 2027. The “Coup de Pouce” (Helping Hand) offer enables low-income households[3] to benefit from a no-commitment package that includes Internet, TV and phone access, a refurbished laptop and digital coaching.
Christel Heydemann, Orange CEO, said: "After making a major contribution to the success of the France Très Haut Débit plan (France's superfast broadband plan) in 2022, Orange is once again working with the government to ensure the widespread deployment of fiber by 2025. Having already covered 21 million of the 36 million eligible premises in France, we're determined to make this major project a national success, benefiting as many people as possible. I want to thank all Orange teams and partners contributing to the success of this major industrial project.”
[1] AMII zones (call for expression of investment interest zones) are the least densely populated private-initiative zones in France
[2] In accordance with current regulations and the offer for access to the terminal part of Orange FttH lines outside the most densely populated zones dated November 1, 2023
[3] The Coup de Pouce offer is reserved for people with a CAF or MSA family income of less than or equal to €700 and ASPA beneficiaries
