Aware of how important it is to ensure the quality of fibre to the home (FttH) networks’ operation, in July 2023 Arcep created a scorecard to assess the impact of the work that the sector was doing to improve it. In this 7th edition being published today, Arcep describes the state of FttH networks up to September 2025.
Improved quality of operation levelling off on most networks
Since its inaugural publication, the FttH QoS scorecard has been measuring failure rates and connection failure rates reported to the infrastructure operator.
The results of this edition confirm the observed improvements in the failure rates that ISPs (aka commercial operators) are reporting to infrastructure operators, which stood at around 0.12% at the national level as of September 2025. The number of networks logging a failure rate of more than 1% has decreased sharply, going from nine networks in March 2023 (representing around 420,000 subscribers) to three networks in September 2025 (representing 83,500 subscribers).
Arcep has observed a levelling off of connection failure rates at the national level, standing at 5.9% around in September 2025. The number of networks with a connection failure rate of under 5% has nevertheless gone from 95 in the previous edition of the scorecard to 82 networks in this 7th edition. This trend could be attributed in particular to the increase in the number of complex situations amongst the connections remaining to be installed.
Efforts still need to be made by the sector, especially on the most dilapidated networks
These positive developments at the national level are the result of the work that infrastructure operators and ISPs have done to improve the quality of FttH networks. Progress has been especially evident on networks for which infrastructure operators have implemented a rehabilitation plan.
The failure rates and connection failure rates observed in certain areas covered by a rehabilitation plan nevertheless often remain higher than market standards. Although the rehabilitation plan for some networks has already been completed, Arcep urges operators to maintain their efforts in those municipalities where quality indicators are still below par.
Efforts still required from all operators on connection quality
Since March 2025, the scorecard has included indicators used to measure ISPs’ compliance with industrial processes when installing connections (rate of improper connections and the rate of defect correction within 30 days).
Arcep has once again observed disparities between ISPs. The Authority is issuing a reminder that ISPs need to improve monitoring of the work performed by their technicians and their sub-contractors’ technicians. The persistence of defective connection installation work is detrimental to network quality over time, and to the quality of users’ experience, who may encounter outages and problems when switching operators.
At this stage, the data published on non-compliant connections only cover a single infrastructure operator’s networks. Arcep is asking that all infrastructure operators produce an analysis of the work reports provided by ISPs for the next edition of the scorecard, to be able to enhance this indicator and measure the quality of the work being done across the whole of France.
Ensuring fibre network quality: one of Arcep’s top priorities
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 ISPs’ 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.
This scorecard of FttH network QoS rounds out Arcep’s toolkit for improving the quality of optical fibre networks in France. The indicators presented are designed to provide an objective status report on FttH networks deployed across the country, and to assess the effects of the work being done by the sector’s stakeholders to improve them. The Authority nevertheless stresses that these indicators do not cover all of the outstanding problems, notably those that ISPs are responsible for solving.