Telecommunications in France

France, officially the French Republic (République française), is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in western Europe, as well as several overseas regions and territories. The French Republic has five overseas collectivities (French PolynesiaSaint BarthélemySaint MartinSaint Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna), one sui generis collectivity (New Caledonia), five departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion), one overseas territory (French Southern and Antarctic Lands), and one island possession in the Pacific Ocean (Clipperton Island).

Region
Europe
Western Europe
ITU Region
Region-1
Government Policy
Autorité de Régulation des Communications électroniques et des Postes ARCEP
Spectrum Regulator
Agence Nationale des Fréquences ANFR

5G in France

Following a public consultation closed in February 2018, the French Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) announced mid-2017 its intention to upgrade wireless local loops using a small subset of the 3.5 GHz band, and dedicate the remainder of the 3.4 to 3.8 GHz band to national mobile network operators for 5G services.

In June 2017, ARCEP invited national operators to conduct initial 5G trials via a sub-band of 80 MHz between 3600 to 3680 MHz. During 2018 ARCEP awarded temporary 3.5 GHz licences to Orange and Bouygues Telecom to achieve their 5G trials:

  • Orange received permission to use spectrum in the 3.7 to 3.8 GHz band for 5G trials for a period of 12 months starting June 2018 in two cities (Lille, Douai)
  • Bouygues Telecom was awarded a temporary licence in the 3.6 to 3.7 GHz band, valid until September 2020 for 5G pilots in three cities (Bordeaux, Lyon, and Villeurbanne).

ARCEP launched a public consultation in May 2018 on the use of 26 GHz for 5G. The French 5G Roadmap released in July 2018 disclosed that a major 5G event was to be organised in the first half of 2019.