Question 16793 — telecommunications

Summary

Mr. Alexandre Dufosset draws the attention of the Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty to the consequences of the proposed sale of SFR to Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Free. This operation, valued at 20.35 billion euros excluding price supplement, would lead to a reorganization of the telecommunications market, with the disappearance of one of the four major operators. This development is not neutral for consumers. For several years, the presence of four large operators has contributed to maintaining strong competitive pressure on prices and offers. The disappearance of SFR could modify this balance. In a sector as essential as that of telecommunications, where access to a mobile plan or an internet connection has become essential to daily life, any reduction in competition can have direct effects on the purchasing power of the French. The main fear concerns a gradual increase in prices. Even if the operators concerned affirm that this operation would not be based on assumptions of a tariff increase, these declarations must be verified by the competent authorities. Consumers cannot be satisfied with simple commitments of principle. They need guarantees. The previous ones observed in several European countries, notably in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom, show that the concentration of the telecommunications market around three operators can lead to an increase for consumers. The question is also that of the concrete fate of SFR customers. Several million subscribers would be divided between Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Free, according to terms which still remain insufficiently readable for the general public. The customers concerned must be informed clearly, sufficiently in advance, and have effective recourse available in the event of an unfavorable change to their contract. Beyond the sole question of pricing, this operation also raises very concrete technical and logistical questions. The distribution of former SFR customers between Free, Orange and Bouygues Telecom should not be translate into a deterioration in the quality of service, connection interruptions, loss of speed, difficulties with mobile or fixed coverage, or by reduced efficiency of telephone and digital communications. The subscribers concerned must also be able to retain, under clear conditions, their services, their options, their equipment, their contact addresses and access to their customer area. Likewise, migration files should not lead to administrative dysfunctions: invoicing errors, double debits, loss of contractual history, difficulties in tracking complaints, uncertainties about current commitments or delays in processing requests for termination, troubleshooting or return of equipment. In this context, the intervention of the supervisory authorities is essential. The SFR sales protocol must yet to receive the approval of the competition authorities, at the end of a procedure which could last many months. This examination should not be purely formal. It must make it possible to assess the real consequences of the operation. The Competition Authority and the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution (ARCEP) must be able to impose strict conditions if they consider that the operation risks harming the interests of consumers. It would be incomprehensible if the numerous authorities and agencies responsible for economic regulation were not fully mobilized for an operation of this magnitude. While the French are regularly confronted with significant administrative complexity, they have the right to expect that the State and its authorities fully fulfill their role when a agreement between large private groups can have direct consequences on their monthly bills. Regulation must here serve concretely to protect users, to prevent de facto agreements and to guarantee that the recomposition of the market does not take place to the detriment of the consumer. Therefore, the MP is concerned about this situation. He asks him what guarantees the Government intends to require as part of the examination of the proposed sale of SFR in order to prevent the transition from four to three large operators from leading to an unjustified increase in prices or a deterioration in the quality of the service provided to consumers, and if it intends to ensure that the Competition Authority and ARCEP have all the necessary means to strictly monitor the commitments made by Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Free, particularly in terms of continuity of communications, maintaining the quality of connections, processing customer files, billing and managing disputes that may result from the distribution of former SFR subscribers between the three operators.

Machine translation from French. The official text remains authoritative.

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1. 7 July 2026

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• Alexandre Dufosset · auteur

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