Keenly aware of how important it is to ensure the quality of fibre to the home (FttH) networks’ operation, Arcep created a scorecard to assess the impact of the work that the sector was doing to improve it. In this 8th edition being published today, Arcep describes the state of FttH networks up to March 2026.
Connection quality: addition of new networks to the scope of study suggests that ISPs have comparable practices on the different networks
For the past year, the scorecard has included indicators used to measure ISPs’ compliance with industrial processes when installing connections (referred to as commercial operator subcontracting arrangements, or “STOC” in French): the rate of improper connections and the rate of defect correction within 30 days. The results presented up to now covered the networks operated to infrastructure operator Altitude; in this edition they are supplemented by those observed on Altice networks. As a result, the indicator now assesses the quality of ISPs’ service calls on 46 networks, which represents a scope of 30% of all households in France, or 13 million subscribers.
There are similarities in the two infrastructure operators’ results in terms of critical defects in the work performed by the different ISPs. Arcep delivers a reminder of the need for more stringent monitoring by ISPs of the work done by both their own technicians in the field, and by their sub-contractors.
The rate of defect correction within 30 days has improved for all ISPs, and stood at 88% in February 2026. Improving the quality of connections is vital to both future-proofing network quality and the quality of users’ experience (QoE), who may have to contend with outages or problems when switching providers.
Monthly failure rates reported to operators tends to be levelling off at 0.12%
The FttH QoS scorecard measures the evolution of failure rates and connection failure rates reported to the infrastructure operator. The results of this edition confirm that average monthly failure rates over the past several scorecards have been relatively steady: standing at around 0.12% at the national level over the six months of observation.
Arcep has observed a levelling off of connection failure rates at the national level, at around 6%. The number of networks with a connection failure rate of under 5% has nevertheless gone from 82 in the previous edition of the scorecard to 49 networks in this 8th edition. This trend could be attributed in particular to the increase in the number of complex situations amongst the connections remaining to be installed.
Some networks are observed to have persistently sub-standard failure and connection failure rates: the operators involved need to step up their efforts to improve operational quality
The overall decent quality observed on most networks must not hide ongoing issues with a small number of networks, for which current efforts to remedy them must continue.
In particular, the Iliad network, certain Altice networks, as well as some Altitude-operated networks acquired in 2021, continue to have failure rates and connection failure rates that are below market standards.
While some rehabilitation plans for all or a portion of these networks have been already been completed, Arcep urges operators to maintain their efforts in those municipalities where quality indicators remain below par.
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.