Orange begins the gradual dismantling of the ADSL network: what this will change for users

Romain Rouillard / Photo credit: FRED TANNEAU / AFP 5:12 p.m., February 6, 2024

With the deployment of optical fiber, guaranteeing access to very high speed, the telephone operator Orange has begun the gradual closure of the copper network, which still allows many French people to benefit from an internet connection today. via ADSL. Users will, however, have the choice between several alternatives.

In the history of the Internet, ADSL will soon appear as a prehistoric animal. Orange has, in fact, begun the gradual dismantling of the copper network, which still provides, today, a connection and telephone access to many homes. But with the rapid deployment of optical fiber, synonymous with very high speed, the operator announced, in 2019, the end of ADSL for 2030. The dismantling work began at the end of last year and will last until the end of the decade. 

This disconnection of the copper network, which also concerns all operators, is also motivated by the new aspirations of customers, particularly since the health crisis. Successive confinements and the more systematic use of teleworking have increased the need, for many households, to have a better quality connection. Optical fiber is, moreover, less sensitive to climatic hazards and is intended to consume less energy than ADSL. 

“98% of homes connected to fiber in 2025” 

However, its deployment has not yet been finalized across the entire territory. Many areas still remain deprived of access to very high speed and this announced disappearance of ADSL may therefore raise some concerns among the residents concerned. Renaud Kayanakis, telecoms specialist at SIA Partners, however wants to be reassuring. “We will have 98% of homes connected to fiber in 2025,” he assures. Especially since operators have the obligation to offer a fiber alternative, in the event of an ADSL outage, under the regulation imposed by Arcep. 

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Users will then have no choice and will have to abandon ADSL in favor of fiber. A shift far from automatic today, including within eligible households. “We have a certain number of people who can technically access fiber, but who choose to stay on ADSL. Either because fiber costs more, or because they do not want us to make holes at home or because they are satisfied with their current connection", indicates Renaud Kayanakis. To date, only 75% of eligible households have opted for optical fiber.

Other alternatives 

For all those who have not taken the initiative when the copper network is disconnected, alternatives will nevertheless be available. Like 4G and 5G boxes which use the mobile network to provide an internet connection.

It is also possible to have very high speed via satellite connection, although installation costs are quite high. To find out the timetable for the dismantling of ADSL, Orange has posted this map online which lists the municipalities already concerned and those which must be in the coming years.