As part of the retirement of 2G and 3G technologies in Metropolitan France, whose timetables have been announced by mobile operators, in September 2025 Arcep launched a dedicated quarterly observatory of “2G” and “3G/2G” SIM cards. The purpose is to be able to assess the effect of the actions that operators have implemented with their customers to raise their awareness of the upcoming retirement of 2G and 3G technologies, and to assist them in migrating to 4G or 5G technologies.
A few days before the first wave of shutdowns by Orange of its 2G network in the urban unit of Biarritz, Anglet, Bayonne (announced for 31 March), Arcep is publishing the third edition of this observatory. It includes quarterly monitoring figures as of end of December 2025 for the number of SIM cards installed on devices that are compatible only with 2G or with 2G and 3G, belonging to Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR subscribers, and only in Metropolitan France[1].
The pace of the decrease in the number of SIM cards in devices that are only 2G or 3G/2G-compatible picked up slightly in Q4 2025
The pace of the decrease in the number of SIM cards installed on devices that are compatible only with 2G or with 2G and 3G systems, belonging to Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR subscribers, and only in Metropolitan France, increased slightly in Q4 to 7%, representing 394,000 units, compared to a 4.8% decrease representing 285,000 units in Q3 2025. The total base of SIM cards in 2G and 3G/2G-only compatible devices stood at 5.2 million at the end of December 2025.
Base of SIM cards in 2G-only compatible devices, totalling 2.4 million at the end of December 2025, continues to decrease more rapidly than the base of 3G/2G-only compatible SIM cards
In Q4 2025, the base of SIM cards in devices that are only 2G-compatible decreased by 9.3%, compared to 4.9% for SIM cards in devices that are 3G/2G-only compatible. At the end of December 2025, SIM cards in devices that are only 2G compatible being used for voice/SMS/mobile internet services represented 1.8% of active SIM cards in all of the devices being used to access these services, and SIM cards in devices that are only 2G-compatible being used for M2M services represented 3.9% of the base of SIM cards in devices being used to access M2M services.
The quarterly decrease in the number of SIM cards in devices that are only 2G-compatible, used for voice/SMS/mobile internet services, stood at 9.5% as of the end of December 2025, compared to 4% at the end of September 2025, and the quarterly decrease in the number of SIM cards SIM cards in devices that are 2G-only compatible being used for M2M services, stood at 9.2% at the end of December 2025, compared to 10.4% at the end of September 2025.
The total number of SIM cards in devices that are only 2G-compatible stood at 2.4 million at the end of December 2025.
As the complete shutdown of 2G networks nears, the pace of the decrease in 2G-only compatible devices in circulation is expected to intensify further still.
Arcep will pay especially close attention to the actions that operators are taking to accelerate the transition to devices compatible with 4G or 5G technologies as the retirement deadlines for 2G then 3G technology approach. The sunset timetables for these two technologies provided by operators are available on the Arcep website (cf. “For more information, visit the Arcep website”).
For more information, visit the Arcep website
- For consumers (in French): 2G and 3G mobile network sunset: are you ready?
- For businesses, local authorities and property managers (in French): 2G and 3G mobile network sunset: are you ready?
Annex:
[1] SIM cards belonging to foreign operators’ subscribers installed in devices that are only “2G” and “3G/2G” compatible being used for roaming in France are not included in the scope of this observatory.