Read Arcep's network results by setting
French regulator Arcep tested Orange, Bouygues Telecom, SFR and Free Mobile in its 2024 quality audit, published in June 2025. For two-minute calls without audible interference, Orange recorded 90 per cent nationally, followed by Bouygues Telecom at 87 per cent, SFR at 85 per cent and Free Mobile at 84 per cent. Those are Arcep's measured call outcomes, not a ranking of every data tariff or an assurance that a particular station has signal. The regulator found a wider drop for all four networks in rural locations.
Arcep checked web browsing and video too, distinguishing cities from rural areas. Dense-city measures were close across operators; rural results varied more. Its million-plus measurements across metropolitan departments from May to July 2024 form a historical sample. Arcep removed its Orange app-calling indicator after an inquiry into a network setting affecting those tests. The caveat matters when interpreting headlines about an overall winner.
Rail and road results differ from a Paris city break
In Arcep's same audit, successful two-minute calls on tested TGV trains ranged from Orange's 78 per cent to 56 per cent on SFR; Free Mobile reached 60 per cent and Bouygues Telecom 59 per cent. For web pages loaded within ten seconds on TGV lines, Orange reached 82 per cent, with the other three between 68 and 72 per cent. On the tested roads, Arcep measured a 96 per cent page-loading result for Orange and 93 or 94 per cent for the others. These figures describe tested corridors, not every departure or carriage.
On Paris RER and Transilien trains, Arcep reported web-page success of 86 to 91 per cent by operator, against 97 or 98 per cent on metro lines. SNCF Voyageurs offers free TGV INOUI Wi-Fi under the SNCF_WIFI_INOUI name, but says its onboard system receives a 4G signal. Save tickets and connections offline before a long-distance journey, even if you plan to use train Wi-Fi.
Check the department and route before choosing a network
Arcep's Mon réseau mobile tool compares calls, texts and mobile internet coverage and measured quality for the four networks, including transport. Its department maps show coverage for metropolitan and overseas France and now include 5G information alongside the more detailed 4G levels. At the time of checking, the department page said its latest figures were for the second quarter of 2026. Search the actual town, rail corridor or mountain destination rather than applying one national audit result to every part of France.
For trips from Paris to the Alps, Brittany or the Pyrenees, check reception beyond the capital. Arcep tests operators' coverage maps in the field; its quality audit separately records test-device results in sampled conditions. Coverage, connection quality and access to 5G on a tariff differ. A usable 4G fallback may matter more than a 5G icon.
A French prepaid number needs identification
Orange's current Mobicarte page lists prepaid plans with French calls, texts and data. At the time of checking, its 150 GB card was displayed at €9.99, valid for one month, with 20 GB listed for its Europe zone. The page also lists a €2.99 Mini card, but that is a different shape of product and its small price should not be mistaken for a substantial data bundle. Check the current offer, recharge terms and coverage zone before paying. Mobicarte is a physical SIM route on the cited pages; do not assume these prices apply to an eSIM.
Orange says the card can be bought online, in its shops and at places such as Relay kiosks and tobacconists; a shop can help with activation. Its identification instructions send prepaid users to an Orange verification portal. Orange's own buying guide says a valid identity document, such as a passport, is needed to activate a French prepaid SIM. A material eligibility caveat appears in the Mobicarte tariff terms: those offers are reserved for customers resident in, or able to demonstrate a stable link with, metropolitan France. A brief visitor should ask Orange whether they qualify before treating that tariff as available.
Free's kiosks and Orange's 2G retirement
Free Mobile says its self-service kiosks in Free shops and partner locations can issue a physical SIM after a mobile subscription. Its newer kiosks may also issue an eSIM for a compatible phone, but Free cautions that eSIM is unavailable on older machines. A traveller seeking a local number can compare this route with an operator shop, asking about identity checks, payment, recurring billing and cancellation before subscribing. The kiosk's presence is not a promise that every visitor can complete the process.
Phone capability matters as well as the purchase route. Orange says it is retiring its 2G network in waves across metropolitan France from September to October 2026, after earlier shutdowns in nine south-western departments. An older phone limited to 2G may lose service on Orange even when a coverage map shows 4G or 5G. Before buying any French line, check that the handset is unlocked and supports the operator's current radio technology.
Check a home EU or EEA plan before buying more data
France is in the European Union's roam-like-at-home area. The European Commission says people travelling from another EU or EEA country can generally use calls, texts and data under home-plan conditions during occasional travel. That does not mean every allowance is unlimited abroad: an operator may apply a fair-use data limit to unlimited or very cheap home data and must inform the customer about it. Check the home operator's allowance for France, the expiry of any pass and the cost of keeping a second voice line active.
The Commission also notes that countries outside the EU and EEA are not automatically in the regulated area, even when an operator voluntarily includes them. That matters on a journey continuing from France into Switzerland or the United Kingdom. A French prepaid tariff and a home roaming contract may have different country lists. Read the actual product's zone, not a map labelled Europe. At a border, confirm which SIM is selected for mobile data before background apps reconnect.
Keep the arrival plan and emergency calling separate
France's Service Public says 112 is the free European emergency number and lists 17 for urgent police assistance. Save both before travel. Its guidance does not establish that a data-only eSIM can originate a cellular call, so keep a voice-capable line or another way to request help. Check a plan's calling and text inclusions before relying on it for a hotel, rail disruption or emergency.
Before departure, check the phone is unlocked, install an eSIM on dependable Wi-Fi if using one, and choose the intended data line in the handset settings. Save your French address, train reference and onward route offline. If arriving into Paris and travelling straight onto a TGV, activate and test data before leaving the airport or station; the regulator's rail results show why live access should not be assumed for the whole ride. Use Arcep's route-level information to decide whether a particular network suits the journey.
Networks our France plans use
These are the operators named on our plans for France, taken from the plan data, so the list follows the catalogue.
- Bougyues5G
- Bouygues5G
- Bouygues Telecom5G
- BOUYGUES TELECOM5G
- Bouygues Télécom5G
- Free5G
- Free Mobile5G
- Orange5G
- Orange France5G
- SFR5G