France Is Switching Off Copper Phone Lines

France has begun retiring its aged copper telephone network—starting successful parts of nan south-west – and nan switch-off will rotation retired nationwide done to 2030.

The scheme is elemental successful theory: region tens of thousands of kilometres of copper, recycle it, and move everyone to fibre-optic aliases different high-speed alternative. In practice, it raises adjacent questions for households: When is my area affected? Will my number change? Who fixes faults? What if I can’t get fibre? Here’s nan plain-English guide.

When nan copper switch-off happens – and wherever fibre is ready

Regulator Arcep says copper tin only beryllium lifted erstwhile a commune has fibre available. Coverage is now wide and still climbing: 89 per cent of homes successful agrarian communes, 92 per cent successful mini towns and 94 per cent successful larger towns and cities tin bid fibre, up sharply connected past year’s figures. Local authorities determine really connections are built – immoderate motion straight pinch operators specified arsenic Orange, others subordinate location syndicates for illustration Nouvelle-Aquitaine Très Haut Débit (NATHD).

• Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Copper lines were trim successful 10 communes successful Corrèze successful January. A further 52 Corrèze communes will travel by January 2026, positive 45 successful Charente and 12 successful Haute-Vienne.
• Dordogne: The section says its €500 cardinal fibre task covering 489 communes has finished, pinch nan past hook-up successful Saint-Sauveur-Lalande.
• A nationalist phase-out almanac is being published region by region; cheque your mairie aliases departmental integer agency for dates.

Key point: your copper brace goes only aft there’s an replacement connected offer—fibre wherever possible, different another technology.

What changes astatine location – boxes, powerfulness cuts and keeping your number

The aged T-shaped wall socket (prise en T) that powered French landlines for decades will nary longer do nan job. Instead, you’ll request a “box” (modem/router) that provides net and telephone complete fibre aliases different connection. In astir cases:

• Your landline number stays nan same. You tin moreover alteration supplier during nan move and still support it.
• No power, nary landline. Unlike copper, fibre-based telephony stops successful a blackout because your telephone goes done nan powered box. Arcep’s nudge is practical: support a charged mobile astatine location for emergencies.
• Installation is usually straightforward: a technician brings fibre into nan property, mounts an optical socket, and connects your box. Flats whitethorn request nan building’s fibre riser to beryllium unrecorded first—your syndic tin confirm.

If fibre genuinely isn’t viable—for example, a distant hamlet—operators must connection an due replacement before copper is removed. The astir communal options are:

• A 4G/5G location net container (plugs into nan mobile network); or
• Satellite broadband, via Starlink aliases different providers. Orange has struck outer deals and sells a work pinch Nordnet.

There’s besides thief pinch nan cost. Through Cohésion Numérique des Territoires (running until end-2025), eligible households tin get €300 disconnected an replacement entree set-up, aliases €600 if you person French societal benefits. Operators use nan discount straight connected nan bill.

Repairs and work – who you telephone erstwhile nan statement goes down

One large operational change: Orange won’t beryllium nan cosmopolitan copper repair squad anymore. On fibre, work depends connected wherever a responsibility sits:

• From your container to nan section fibre furniture (often adjacent nan mairie), your unit usability is connected nan hook to hole it—whoever that usability is.
• Beyond nan cabinet, a web proprietor (which mightiness beryllium a location syndicate specified arsenic NATHD) takes over.

For you, nary of this should matter. Arcep is explicit: you ever interaction your ain provider, and it’s their occupation to coordinate repairs—even if nan break lies connected infrastructure they don’t own. No buck-passing allowed.

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