The fibre optic market in France

Fiber optics, a technology that has long been mastered, notably in undersea telecoms cables, is becoming the main technology for Internet access. It enables data rates unmatched by other technologies currently on the market (ADSL, satellite), both in transmission and reception.

Setting up fiber optics requires heavy initial investment. To make this technology available to as many people as possible, fiber-optic cables have to be laid to every home and house likely to need them. To this end, the French government has established several guidelines as part of its France Très Haut Débit plan, which is supposed to connect the entire country to fiber by 2022.

The fiber optics market is undeniably a fast-growing sector: in 2016 ARCEP reported 8.3 million lines giving access to fiber optics, and by 2021 this number had risen to 29.7 million. [ARCEP] With a significant market share, French manufacturers are Europe's leading specialists in the production of fiber optic cables. On the ISP side, the four major French operators have seized this opportunity and are sharing fiber deployment more or less equally, mainly in the final kilometers of deployment (home connections). some towns are connected by several ISPs, but Orange remains the provider with the most extensive coverage, providing fiber to 25,773 towns [Ariase]

There are nevertheless a number of limiting factors, such as the threat to the French industry from Chinese competition, the risk of a lack of production capacity for the France THD plan, and technological competition linked to the advent of 5G.

In addition, fiber deployment activities have been suspended due to the health crisis, and the strong growth seen since 2018 has levelled off. At the same time, telecoms networks have had to cope with an unprecedented increase in data traffic, leading to transmission slowdowns. As a result, demand for ultra-high-speed broadband has risen sharply, with containment confirming French interest in this type of Internet connection.