Fibre to the home (FttH) networks have become the new infrastructure of reference in France for delivering electronic communication services, and fixed internet access in particular. Aware of how important it is to ensure the quality of these networks’ operation, Arcep began working with operators in 2019 on solving the quality issues that arise. In September 2022, operators presented Arcep and the Government with an FttH quality of service (QoS) action plan, which Arcep is responsible for monitoring and enforcing.
On its website, Arcep provides regular progress reports on this work that has two main aims:
- first, improving the quality of service calls on optical fibre networks performed by commercial operators’ technicians, combined with increased supervision and fixing any defective work performed on infrastructures;
- second, rehabilitating the networks with the highest rates of failure, which largely includes upgrading shared access points and all of the infrastructure in the shared access points’ service area, analysing network provisioning and realigning operators’ information systems with the reality in the field.
In July 2023, Arcep created a scorecard to assess the impact of the work that the sector was doing to improve the quality of FttH networks, and today is publishing its second edition, providing a progress report of the work done thus far.
The scorecard presents two types of indicator collected from commercial operators: connection failure rates and the rate of failure on these networks. These indicators, which were already included in the first scorecard, are designed to provide an objective view of the state of FttH networks deployed across the country, and to assess the impact of the work being done by the sectors’ stakeholders. Arcep nevertheless stresses that these indicators do not cover all of the issues, notably those that can only be solved by commercial operators.
This new edition of the FttH QoS scorecard provides an opportunity to take stock of the progress in failure rates and connection failure rates, as defined in the first scorecard, published in late July 2023:
- Failure rates remain largely unchanged since the first observatory. There are nonetheless disparities between the different networks being assessed.
- A certain improvement in connection failure rates has been observed in some parts of the country. This progress nevertheless needs to be confirmed over time, as indicators can be subject to seasonal variations. Commercial operators’ temporary halt of connection work, notably when infrastructure[1] operators are performing rehabilitation work, can also contribute to the observed decreases. Improved connection failure rates therefore need to be assessed over the long term.
Work is also being done to improve future editions of this scorecard, notably by incorporating supplementary indicators that will create the ability, first, to obtain a more accurate picture of the user experience and, second, to measure the quality of the industrial processes that commercial operators have put into place for their connection installation work.