Jean-Noël BARROT, Minister of State for Digital Transition and Telecommunications, Laure de LA RAUDIÈRE, Arcep Chair, Nicolas GUÉRIN, President of the French Telecoms Federation/Fédération Française des Télécoms (FFTélécoms) and mobile telephone operator representatives today inaugurated the 2,500th multi-operator 4G tower to be deployed under the “New Deal for Mobile’s” targeted coverage scheme, which provides for the opening of more than 5,000 4G cell sites in rural areas in Metropolitan France by 2027.
This tower, which was inaugurated with Cécile DINDAR, Prefect of the Aube, Philippe PICHERY, President of the Aube Departmental Council, Guy BONCORPS, Mayor of Dampierre, and local elected officials in attendance, and shared by the four national operators (Bouygues Telecom, Free, Orange and SFR), has been serving the municipality of Dampierre as well as the municipalities of Vaucogne and Breban for several days.
This inauguration marks a symbolic milestone for the New Deal for Mobile which was established in 2018 on the Government’s initiative, and for the targeted coverage mechanism in particular. It has been through this unprecedented and ambitious mechanism that mobile operators, Bouygues Telecom, Free Mobile, Orange and SFR, each committed to bringing coverage to 5,000 areas, identified by regional authorities and Government departments, and targeting local coverage needs.
Arcep tracks the progress of the New Deal for Mobile on a quarterly basis on its website. Since 2018, 4,215 areas have been identified by local project teams.
Supplementing this mechanism, the New Deal for Mobile includes other regional mobile network deployment commitments from operators, with staggered deadlines up to 2030. These commitments pertain in particular to ubiquitous 4G on operators’ mobile networks, better coverage of transport corridors and the steady improvement of mobile networks’ coverage quality.
Jean-Noël BARROT: “This initiative devised and led by the Government since 2018 has been a success for every territory. The New Deal for Mobile is an example of trust-based cooperation between local authorities, telecoms operators and the State, designed to satisfy the day-to-day needs of people in France. We committed to putting 5,000 cell towers in service by 2027 to eradicated white areas. Today we are celebrating the 2,500th tower put into service, an anniversary that testifies to the speed of these deployments! Let us continue to bring connectivity to the people living in France’s most remote locations.”
Laure de LA RAUDIÈRE: “By adapting mobile coverage to realities in the field and users’ needs, the targeted coverage mechanism has been a shared success, and one for which the role of regional authorities and local project teams is central. Starting from the needs identified by regional authorities, the mechanism improves the daily lives of our fellow citizens in a concrete way, notably in rural and mountain regions. Thanks to its quarterly monitoring, Arcep will ensure that this solid momentum continues to benefit people who are still enduring subpar connectivity.”
Nicolas GUÉRIN: “The Fédération Française des Télécoms and all of the operators have been fully committed to deploying the New Deal for Mobile for more than five years now. Over 42,000 existing cell sites have been upgraded to 4G and 2,500 new multi-operator 4G cell sites, identified by local officials working within project teams, have been built and put into service by the four national operators. We are fully assuming our role in furthering regional digital development nationwide.”
