UFC-Que Choisir claims that Orange offers the fastest mobile network in France. He is ahead of SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free, the troublemaker contenting himself with the last place in the ranking. The study by the consumer association confirms that the digital divide between rural and urban areas is still very high and that 5G, at present, does not bring any improvement in use.
Each year, UFC-Que Choisir reveals a mobile network barometer, ranking the operators according to the quality of the Internet connection. A qualitative study carried out in real situations by consumers using a mobile application. In 2021, according to the consumer association, Orange offers the best network in France. This is the eleventh consecutive year that the incumbent operator is at the top of this ranking. SFR is in second position. Free and Bouygues Telecom share the last places. One is third when the other is last in one exercise, and the opposite in another.
Orange offers better speeds on its mobile network than other operators
The measurements collected by the association estimate that the Orange network offers an average speed of 61.5Mbps for download, far ahead of the competition. SFR takes second place with 40.7Mbps. Or a speed 40% lower than the incumbent operator. Free and Bouygues Telecom follow with respectively an average speed of 37.5Mbps and 36.5Mbps. In upload, the differences are less obvious. The average achieved by Orange is 12.8Mbps. Bouygues Telecom and Free follow closely, with 11.1Mbps and 10.6Mbps, respectively. Finally, Free is dead last with an average upload speed of 8.9Mbps.
These are obviously national averages. Depending on the region, average speeds can vary considerably. The average of good connections in urban areas is much better than in rural areas. UFC-Que Choisir compared the quality of connections between operators in town on the one hand and in the countryside on the other. Orange also provides a better quality network here: 90% of connections offer a download rate greater than 8 Mb/s, compared to 80% for Bouygues Telecom and 71% for Free and SFR. In rural areas, the percentage of good connection is 74% for Orange. This is significantly lower than its urban score: 16 points less. SFR and Bouygues reach 65 and 61% respectively. Free is the only operator to offer a better percentage of good connections in rural areas, with 73% (+2 points).
5G does not bring any real improvement yet
UFC Que-Choisir also confirms that the arrival of 5G a year and a half ago did not improve the quality of connections for consumers. According to measurements taken by UFC-Que Choisir, a connection to a 5G antenna offers a speed of 225 Mbps for download, against 44 Mbps on average with a 4G antenna. Do you still have to be in a covered area! While urban areas are better served, coverage in rural areas is very low. And the speeds offered are close to 4G: 48.9 Mbps on average.
