5G: Lagging behind, Free Mobile is slipping its competitors in Orange’s rear-view mirror this summer in deploying the 3.5GHz band SFR

ANFR presents its monthly observatory of operator 5G network deployments for the month of July 2022. First in the ranking for the number of 5G sites across all frequencies combined, Free appears last on the Queen’s 3.5GHz band.

Around 20 months after the launch of 5G in France, it is time to take stock at all levels. Today, operators tirelessly pursue the mission, each with their own strategy. So much so that as of July 1, 26,093 5G sites were declared technically operational. Almost all of these 5G installations are allowed in existing sites already used by 2G, 3G or 4G technologies. And only 5 sites only host 5th generation mobile telephony. According to operators, 73.9% of the 35,311 authorized locations are emitting radio waves, although they may not yet be open commercially.

On the 3.5 GHz band provided by Orange, Free, SFR and Bouygues, there are 12,877 sites in this scenario. For the first time, the number of authorized supports in the core band exceeds the 700MHz sites only provided by Free.

When asked which operator deployed the most 3.5GHz sites in July, ANFR pushed SFR to the top step of the podium in its new monthly observatory. The red square operator has 283 sites technically operational, compared to 224 for Bouygues Telecom and 217 for Orange. Completely beaten over the period, Free Mobile is content with 89 pages.

In the overall standings, Xavier Niel’s driver, who had already dropped to last place in June, sees his rivals a little further ahead. Leader, Orange has 4,248 supports operational or marketable for subscribers. Following on from the good performance, SFR follows with 3854 sites versus 3673 for Bouygues Telecom. Free brings up the rear with 46 fewer supports than its predecessor.

However, taking all frequencies together, Free Mobile still has the densest network thanks to increased use of the 700MHz band, which certainly offers less speed. The operator currently has as many 5G sites as SFR and Bouygues Telecom combined. Orange returns to this point, favoring the use of the 3.5GHz band and faster speeds from the start, while turning its back on the 2100MHz frequency.

This article is from the Univers FreeBox website