In the past year alone, nearly a million people ditched their ADSL lines in favour of fibre, bringing total fibre subscriptions to 24.4 million. ADSL, once dominant, has slumped to just 6.3 million lines.

The shift is part of a broader national push to phase out copper entirely by 2030. While the pace of fibre adoption has slowed compared to the frenzy of 2021, 2.9 million new subscriptions in 2024 show the upgrade train is still rolling strong.

Meanwhile, mobile networks are seeing a surge of their own. More than 24 million French SIM cards now run on 5G, up by 10 million in just one year. That means 30 per cent of SIMs are now 5G-enabled, a significant leap that helps France close the gap with other parts of Europe.

Data usage is skyrocketing too. The average 4G user now burns through 17 GB of mobile data each month, with yearly increases of one to two gigabytes. In contrast, SMS messages have nosedived, with monthly averages falling from 250 in 2016 to just 92 now, as messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram take over.

But this digital upgrade frenzy comes at a cost. Telecom operators are seeing their revenue growth slow dramatically, down to just 0.7 per cent at the end of 2024. That is a sharp drop from the two per cent annual growth seen during the post-pandemic boom. Heavy 5G investments and cutthroat pricing are now weighing on profitability.

The average monthly broadband bill has crept up to €37, a rise of €1.70 over the past year, as fibre plans increasingly come bundled with TV and other services. For many households, the humble internet box has now become the core of their home entertainment setup.

So while French consumers are getting faster connections and better bundles, operators are left wrestling with rising costs and shrinking margins.