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The 2024 Paris Olympics Propel 5G Adoption!
The latest tracking for the third quarter of 2024 shows a rapid uptake of 5G technology, marking a significant milestone in its national rollout. According to the French Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution (Arcep), the number of active 5G SIM cards has soared to 22.1 million, a dramatic increase of 10 million within just one year. This surge is largely attributed to the 2024 Paris Olympics. During this global event, some carriers widely opened up access to 5G networks for their customers, significantly boosting its adoption.
Presently, 26% of SIM cards in France operate on 5G networks, up 12 percentage points in a single year, setting a record since the technology’s introduction in 2020. These figures reflect a growing enthusiasm among the French populace for this next-generation network, which offers enhanced speeds and reduced latency.
4G Continues to Dominate but Slows Down
Despite the rise of 5G, 4G remains the dominant technology in France. It still accounts for 88% of active SIM cards, although its growth has slowed to just +3% over the past year, a stark contrast to the double-digit growth rates seen in previous years.
This slowdown comes as 5G begins to establish itself as a viable and accessible alternative, thanks to expanded infrastructure and competitive offerings from carriers. These results confirm that 2024 has been a pivotal year for 5G in France. The robust adoption of this technology is likely to encourage carriers to ramp up their investments in 5G antenna deployment, especially in rural areas that are currently less well-served.
With an increasing segment of the population transitioning to this new generation of network, Arcep emphasizes the need to maintain a balance between national coverage and quality of service. Indeed, the Olympics have served as a catalyst, showcasing the potential of 5G to meet large-scale and temporary connectivity needs, paving the way for new applications in sectors such as healthcare, industry, and transportation. However, more infrastructure development is necessary.
Furthermore, Arcep provides numerous statistics indicating another shift in consumption habits. Mobile network voice usage remains high, with a total of 47 billion minutes during the third quarter of 2024, 7% of which was via Wi-Fi, showing a slight increase of 0.8% after three years of decline. Wi-Fi calls have increased by 16% during the period. Conversely, calls from fixed networks continue to decline, with 5.1 billion minutes used (a yearly decline of 20% since 2021). Mobile plan users maintain a stable average of 3 hours and 30 minutes per month, while calls from landlines average just 46 minutes per month.