Arcep has been working since late 2020 on identifying the financial and operational problems surrounding the installation of all of the last mile connections to optical fibre networks, i.e. installing fibre up to customers’ terminal socket. Today Arcep is publishing a summary of the work and recommendations on pricing rules for last mile connections. As an adjunct, it is also publishing the contributions it received to the public consultation on the matter that ran from 12 January 2023 to 13 February 2023.
Ensuring effective end-user connection to FttH networks is a major issue for Arcep
Optical fibre networks are becoming the new infrastructure of reference in France for carrying telecommunications services, and fixed internet access in particular. At a time of massive FttH network deployment and the legacy copper network’s announced switchoff by 2030, ensuring end-users’ effective connection to these new optical fibre networks is a major issue for Arcep.
Last mile connection operations can, however, be subject to failures that operators are not always able to handle in a satisfactory manner. These failures can be due to several types of difficulty that can be explained, notably, by a lack of proper communication between market players, or by the non-standard nature of the connections to be installed (lack of available civil engineering or the challenge of long connections).
In the document being published today, Arcep provides detailed pricing rules for last mile connections
Arcep has been working since December 2020 on the financial and operational problems surrounding the installation of all of the last mile connections, and possible solutions to those problems. Arcep held an initial public consultation on last mile connections between December 2020 and March 2021. Following the responses it received from operators, it published a first progress report in November 2021, which included an
action plan. The Authority then continued to work on the matter, notably on pricing issues, which culminated in a public consultation on a summary document of this work which ran from 12 January 2023 to 13 February 2023.
The work summary and recommendations being published today aim to facilitate the installation of all last mile connections, and their high quality, and ensure that competition between commercial operators remains fair and effective. The topics addressed include the players’ responsibilities when civil engineering on public land is lacking, on remunerating technicians working in the field and installing long connections.
Arcep continues to work on completing the installation of every connection
Alongside this work on pricing rules, a working group dedicated to operational issues, called “Completing all last mile FttH connections”, was formed in autumn 2021. The group is working on the information that the infrastructure operator must provide to the commercial operator and to the technician, managing failed installations and how to handle connection failures. This is part of the work that Arcep is doing to improve the quality of optical fibre networks.
The Authority provides regular progress updates on all of this work on its website.
Associated documents:
• Recommendation and work summary
• Contributions to the public consultation launched in January 2023