Mapping broadband coverage in France
Broadband Coverage in Europe in 2011 - key results for France
One of the European Union’s most ambitious targets is to make sure that all its citizens can get access to superfast broadband at home, if they choose, by 2020. A new study by broadband specialists Point Topic shows France is now over 39% towards achieving that aim.Download report – Broadband Coverage in Europe in 2011 – France
National coverage by broadband technology – France
France broadband coverage by technology combination – BCE 2011
France is ahead of the European averages on most combination measures, particularly for rural broadband, where it is fifth among the study countries for both standard and NGA coverage (98% and 29% respectively). But it is some way behind the average and 24th in Europe for Total NGA coverage.
This pattern is the result of the country’s distinctive technology profile. With FTTP coverage at 21%, France has made a much bigger commitment to fibre than any other large European country. But it is not making any use of VDSL and has lower than average coverage of both Standard and Docsis 3 cable. The net result at present is relatively low NGA availability.
On the other hand, France’s rural areas are much better served by cable networks than most other countries. France has the fourth highest rural coverage of Standard Cable (40%) and the fifth highest for Docsis 3 (28%) which is enough to give it a high position for rural NGA.
France superfast broadband coverage map
WiMAX networks are available in France but they are aimed at business users and so are not included in this study. Nor was LTE available in France as of end-2011.
NGA broadband maps for France
NGA in France forms a complicated patchwork. Paris and its closest suburbs enjoy 100% coverage. Other Paris suburbs and some city regions – Lyons, Strasbourg, Marseilles – have between 89% and 69%. Then many relatively urban regions, spread right across France, from the Riviera to the North and from the Jura to Brittany are in the 35% to 65% range. Another 21 departments, mostly those with large towns, have at least 10% NGA coverage, three more have just one or two percent and 43, including all the overseas ones, have none.
Coverage data for NUTS3 outside mainland Europe
| Country | NUTS code | NUTS area name | Standard coverage | NGA coverage |
| France | FR910 | Guadeloupe | 97.2% | 0.0% |
| France | FR920 | Martinique | 98.3% | 0.0% |
| France | FR930 | Guyane | 96.3% | 0.0% |
| France | FR940 | Réunion | 98.8% | 0.0% |
Data tables for France
Demographics
| Statistic | National |
| Population | 64,007,290 |
| Persons per household | 2.3 |
| Rural proportion | 23.2% |
Coverage by technology
| Technology | Total | Rural |
| DSL | 99.1% | 96.3% |
| VDSL | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| FTTP | 21.3% | 0.3% |
| WiMAX | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Standard cable | 32.9% | 39.9% |
| Docsis 3 cable | 27.7% | 28.2% |
| HSPA | 97.0% | 87.0% |
| LTE | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Satellite | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Standard Combination | 99.3% | 98.2% |
| NGA Combination | 39.1% | 28.5% |
Find out more
Point Topic maps broadband coverage in every square kilometre across Europe. For more details, please visit the Broadband Competition Map of Europe page or contact Tim Johnson at tim.johnson@point-topic.com or telephone +44(0)20 3301 3303.