From April 1, 2022, the amount of state aid for individuals who do not have a good internet connection will increase from 150 euros to 300 or even 600 euros. But the procedure to benefit from it is not simple.
The government has decided to help the “forgotten about very high speed” . In early February, during a trip to a fiber connection site in early February, the Prime Minister, Jean Castex, announced the doubling of the financial aid allocated by the public authorities for the cost of equipment, installation or commissioning of wireless Internet access solutions. Since 2019, and thanks to the device Digital territorial cohesion, eligible individuals and businesses can benefit from a financial boost of up to 150 euros. From 1er April 2022, this state aid will be increased at 300 euros, even 600 euros means-tested, i.e. “when the persons concerned will have resources that will not allow them to cope (with this type of investment)”said the Prime Minister.
Despite the context, this statement is not a mere election promise. It is in fact part of the implementation of the plan France Very High Speed, launched in 2013 under the presidency of François Hollande, and taken over by the government of Emmanuel Macron. This initiative, which represents a total investment of 20 billion public and private euros, aimed to deploy very high speed throughout France by the end of 2022. By “very high throughput”, we mean a throughput greater than 30 Mbits/s, regardless of the technology used. The President of the Republic added a nuance, speaking of “good broadband”, which corresponds to a minimum of 8 Mbit / s. But if the deadline is fast approaching, the bet is still far from being won.
Very high speed: fiber for all in 2025?
Because if we knew the social divide, we must now also take into account the digital divide. It exists in uses – young people are naturally much more comfortable than older people in the use of digital tools – but also in access. And more particularly high-speed Internet access, which opens the way to countless applications, such as video streaming or videoconferencing. Alas, if optical fiber is constantly progressing – according to Arcepthere were 17.5 million fiber subscribers in FTTH at the end of September 2021 – just like the deployment of 5G – with more than 16,000 compatible sites, still according to Arcep –, there are still many places in France that have to make do with a low-speed connection. Areas, most often rural, deprived of fast Internet, both wired and on mobile telephone networks, where even ADSL – set to disappear in a few years with the dismantling of copper lines – and 4G remain anemic .
Certainly, within the framework of the recovery plan, the Government has mobilized 570 million euros to accelerate the deployment of fiber, promising total coverage of the territory by 2025. In the meantime, and as ADSL has reached its limits, the only solution to take advantage of “good broadband” or very high speed means turning to wireless technologies. There are currently three: the local radio loop (which operates THD Radio), satellite and mobile telephony. The first two, which are offered by specialized and often little-known operators such as Ozone, NordNet, WeAccess, Digitization Where Europasat, require the installation of fairly expensive specific equipment (antenna, receiver, etc.). The third is based on the 4G and 5G mobile telephone networks and only requires a specific modem with a specific subscription from popular operators such as Orange, Bouygues Telecom or SFR.
Internet in 4G and 5G: speeds far from the promises
Unfortunately, if it seems simpler and more accessible on paper, the 4G/5G solution is not egalitarian in practice. The fault lies with the white areas, these territories poorly served by high-speed mobile telephone networks which still represent 15% of the country. And a lack of voluntarism on the part of certain players in the telecommunications market. This is the alarming finding recently drawn up by theUFC-What to choose about the reception quality of the mobile Internet. To counter the marketing campaigns of operators boasting of the miraculous speeds of 5G, the association has developed the free and participative mobile application What flow“. Gold, “the figures collected in the field highlight an extremely marked inequality, since in urban areas the average speeds are 66% higher than in rural areas (55.3 Mbit/s against 33.3 Mbit/s)”, notes the UFC-Que Choisir. An in-depth analysis of more than 5 million pieces of data has made it possible to highlight the existence of significant disparities, and to demonstrate that for many consumers accessing the mobile Internet in good conditions is quite simply chimerical. Thus, 14.3% of recorded speeds are less than 3 Mbit/s, the minimum speed for accessing basic mobile Internet services, such as web browsing, in just decent conditions. As for the famous “good broadband” defined by Emmanuel Macron, it is not reached in 25% of cases at the national level via mobile telephony, and even in 32% of cases in rural areas.
State aid for wireless broadband: an obstacle course
Clearly, even with the increase in state aid, it is not guaranteed that all citizens will be able to have a decent Internet connection while waiting for the widespread deployment of fiber optics. In addition, the procedure for benefiting from this boost is not intuitive. And it is likely to pose a problem for people who are not very comfortable with new technologies, especially since it essentially passes through… the Internet! Indeed, to take advantage of it, you must first go to the dedicated page of the site of the National Agency for Territorial Cohesion. You must then indicate a municipality to see a list of operators offering wireless access solutions, some – not all… – offering offers labeled “Digital Cohesion” allowing access to “good broadband” . Then, you have to contact them individually by phone or Internet to study these formulas and start the process. A little obstacle course that many will probably not even try to tackle…
