Currently, the telecommunications sector is dominated by major players such as Orange and Free, and now a troubling update has emerged for SFR subscribers. Is the company going to cease its operations? And if so, what consequences will this have on its clients? Let’s discuss.
Orange is the leader of mobile and internet operators in France
In France, the telecommunications industry and internet box sector are dominated by several well-known and popular operators. Historically, it was Orange that led this market, but several new players have emerged.
Currently, Orange shares the market with Free, Bouygues Telecom, and SFR. According to Statista, “the largest market share belongs to Orange, which achieves over 2.2 billion euros in annual revenue solely from its mobile services (40%)”.
“Free and SFR complete the podium, each with a market share of a little over 20%,” adds the statistical expert. Previously, Orange was known as France Télécom, thus the company has been in existence since 1988 and adopted the name Orange in 1994.
The end of ADSL, hello fiber optic!
Orange was thus the main operator in its early days. In fact, it was Orange that established the ADSL network and is now responsible for phasing out ADSL in favor of fiber. Soon enough, ADSL will become obsolete, and customers will be disconnected.
Fiber will thus open up throughout the territory. Orange is then responsible for these arrangements. It is not only the most used operator but also the one overseeing the current internet network in France.
However, Orange faces strong competition in both mobile and fiber offerings, especially from Free and SFR, which are known to be somewhat cheaper, particularly Free.
SFR, a company acquired by Altice France
SFR now has over 20 million clients. The company has been around for some time, explaining its authority. It was founded on November 18, 1987, which makes it 37 years old. Specifically, the company was acquired by Neuf Télécom in 2008, and then by Vivendi in 2011.
Afterwards, the company was acquired by Altice France in 2016. Founded by Alain Bravo and Richard Laland, SFR is now part of the Altice company, previously known as Numericable-SFR, then SFR Group.
“It notably stems from the merger between SFR and Numericable in November 2014 and the acquisition of NextRadioTV in 2016. A new entity called SFR Group was created from April 2016. SFR Group adopted the name Altice France in 2018,” explains our friend Wikipedia.
“Altice France is 55% owned by businessman Patrick Drahi, through Altice Group Lux SÃ rl and his personal holding Next Luxembourg. […] Altice France controls the SFR operator, the RMC Sport channel, and XPFibre,” is also mentioned.
SFR and Altice facing difficulties since 2014 and 2016?
Currently, Altice is led by Patrick Drahi, while SFR’s CEO is Mathieu Cocq. It has been noted that SFR has faced difficulties since 2014 and its acquisition by Altice in 2016, particularly at the outset, when there were numerous ADSL network outages.
“Concerning mobile telephony, Arcep evaluated on a scale of 100, corresponding to the sector average, SFR’s score dropped from 93 to 78 between 2014 and 2015,” explains Wikipedia. “In the first half of 2016, the CNIL […] reported multiple complaints from SFR customers,” it also states.
Additionally, Altice also faced some judicial issues in 2022. On September 29, 2022, the Competition Authority fined it 75 million euros for failing to meet certain obligations during the fiber deployment in specific areas.
Financially, SFR reportedly has a debt of around 24 billion euros in 2024. This is colossal. For Altice, the debt was approximately 30 billion euros in 2021. For several years, both entities have been deeply in debt, although current figures appear somewhat more favorable.
SFR may be sold by Altice to reduce its debt?
However, these figures remain alarming. In fact, rumors have been circulating recently. The parent company of SFR has yet to confirm this rumor, but many clients are already quite concerned. According to this rumor, SFR could cease its services due to its debt.
In February 2025, Patrick Drahi (head of Altice) reportedly reached an agreement with his creditors, according to various media such as BFMTV. According to this agreement, he could reduce his debt to 15.5 billion euros through asset sales.
As SFR has already lost about 2 million subscribers recently, will the operator ultimately be sold (again)? Is Altice going to sell SFR to lighten its current debt? This is what many clients are wondering right now.
Orange cannot acquire SFR, what about Free and Bouygues?
According to Marie France, “The European Union is very strict regarding the rules governing competition. This legislative situation means that none of the three operators (Bouygues, Orange, and Free) can hope to swallow SFR alone and obtain a green light from Brussels.”
The three operators therefore cannot really freely acquire SFR, as this would lead to a monopoly. This is especially true for Orange, which would obtain a significant market share of around 80% with such a takeover. Free and Bouygues may aspire to it, but certainly not Orange.
According to Le Figaro, “The natural candidate to lead this operation is Bouygues, especially considering the network sharing agreement it made with SFR since 2014, which is set to last another ten years.”
What are the consequences for clients in case of sale?
In any case, if SFR were to be sold, clients would not see much difference, ideally. Logically, the operator would be acquired by another operator and SFR would continue to exist (and its offerings as well, although they might vary a bit in pricing and options).
We remind you that, for the moment, this rumor of a sale is not at all confirmed. Therefore, it is possible that SFR may not be sold and will continue to exist as we know it. However, it cannot be ruled out; clients should be informed of this possibility.
In the event of a sale, clients would be notified, at least by email, from the operator. If there are changes in the offerings, one can imagine there may be additional benefits for clients and that other operators might implement even more appealing offers.
Other major changes to expect in France
In any event, whether you see it with SFR or another operator for your internet box, we strongly encourage you to install fiber at your home soon. In just 5 years, ADSL will become obsolete. Be cautious of fiber optic scams, as they are still prevalent.
Note that this is not the only potential change coming to France. Regarding the electrical grid, if you refuse to install the Linky meter, you will also incur additional charges. So consider this and install the smart meter as soon as possible.
Moreover, there are also other changes expected in France, including a new box to check for taxes (the declaration is approaching fast). Social benefits are also likely to increase soon.
Additionally, there could be changes to the operation of restaurant vouchers. If you benefit from these, it’s best to get informed on this topic. Recently, the debate on the end of daylight saving time has been reopened, and it may be possible that the time change will cease.
Lastly, note that euro banknotes will soon change design, several bank agencies will close in France due to digitization, and La Poste may stop delivering to customers daily due to a decrease in mail sendings.
