The regulator expects Orange to maintain regular contact with those who have refused migration to its fibre network, especially as its copper retirement proceeds
Arcep has issued a series of recommendations interpreting its standard of completeness for Orange’s fibre rollout
On 8 April 2025, Arcep published a recommendation clarifying the responsibilities of Orange to ensure the “completeness” of its fibre network deployments in sparsely populated regions in the context of copper network retirements. The regulator notes this clarification is timely and necessary both in light of the progress made to date on the fibre rollout – 91% of premises are eligible for FTTH connections as of December 2024 – and of the impending work to retire copper networks – Orange is due to begin work on network retirement within the next year. As the operator has begun conducting trials for network retirement and made commitments on its intended process, Arcep identified issues requiring additional consideration, including around the designation of a premise as “connectable upon request,” the refusal or blocking of connection by a property owner and the connection of new buildings. While these recommendations are specific to less populated regions, Arcep does suggest Orange consider applying these standards to the more sparsely populated parts of regions that are otherwise classified as very dense areas. The regulator’s recommendations complement the symmetrical obligations it previously set out for the copper retirement process beginning in 2010 and reiterated most recently in its 2023 wholesale market review.
Orange is expected to make its best effort to work around any refusals for a fibre connection and document continued resistance
Arcep has previously stated its expectation that to achieve completeness within a given region, Orange will make all premises connectable with the goal of fully connecting all of them to its fibre network during the initial network build, subject to the refusal of the property owners concerned. The regulator has recognised before and restates in its new recommendation that some barriers to completing the connections to all premises lie outside of the operator’s control, such as refusals for work on private property or refusals for road work permits. Arcep therefore specifies that it expects due diligence in how the operator treats these unconnected premises, specifically recommending that Orange:
Make its best effort to avoid or resolve a refusal by pursuing alternative technical and economic solutions and facilitating a dialogue with the responsible party aimed at transparency and education;
Document all efforts it makes to resolve a refusal and retain any relevant documentation to prove the failure to connect the premise falls outside its control; and
Share information on the premises that remain unconnected due to a refusal, including on the precise reasons behind the refusal, with Arcep and commercial operators.
Arcep also encourages Orange to monitor premises impacted by a refusal over time, recommending that the operator regularly attempt to contact the relevant property owners and communicate the impacts of refusing a fibre connection in light of the copper network retirement.
Orange should respond in a timely manner to requests to extend connections to previously unconnected premises, including new buildings
The regulator also clarified its expectations as to how Orange would decide what premises could remain as connectable upon request at the end of the network rollout in a region as well as how Orange would treat buildings for which construction is completed during or after the network rollout is underway in a region. In relation to leaving premises as connectable on request, Arcep references commitments made by the operator over the course of 2024 that increased the number of premises to be designated this way from approximately 3,000 to 460,000, highlighting the growing importance of how Orange treats these premises. Through its recommendation, the regulator now clarifies its belief that any premises with an active copper line or a copper line that was active within the past 24 months should be considered as having demonstrated demand for a fibre connection and therefore connected by Orange without the need for a further request. For buildings constructed during or after the initial network build, the regulator also lays out a range of timelines on which Orange will be expected to extend new connections. Summarily, Arcep appears interested in ensuring the operator is proactive in maximising the number of premises reached by its initial rollout as well as responsive to outreach throughout the process, including following the completion of its main build plan, to reach its vision for a completed fibre rollout.
