SFR has just announced the upcoming end of the coaxial, this hybrid internet connection technology. The operator warns his last wired subscribers of a service cut to completely switch to fiber optics.
C ‘(is soon the end of an era for Numericable. SFR, its owner since 2014, has announced that it will end the operation of its Internet connection system which is based on a cable network with coaxial termination D ‘Here at the end of 2025. Inherited from Numericable, this network will be fully replaced by fiber optics to the home, like the one used by other operators. more efficient fiber offer or consider changing internet access providers.
Since the acquisition of Numericable, SFR has maintained two types of technologies to provide the Internet to its customers. The first, known as FTTB (Fiber to the Building, or fiber to the French building), combines fiber and coaxial cable. The fiber is deployed to the foot of the buildings, but the final connection to the accommodation is via a coaxial copper cable, with a terminal socket similar to that of TV antennas: a limited support, with much lower flows than the fiber optical. The other technology, the FTTH (Fiber to the Home, or fiber to home), allows you to directly connect dwellings via fiber, offering much higher and stable flows. It is this deep difference that makes the coaxial “false fiber” often describe.
End of the coaxial: a transition to full fiber for the future
From December 31, 2025, subscribers using the FTTB will have to switch to a FTTH fiber offer from SFR, or change supplier. The operator promises a smooth transition for those who will choose to stay, with flows of up to 2 Gbit/s for download and 1 Gbit/s in remotely, thanks to latest generation equipment, including Wi-Fi 6. However, for those who are not yet covered by the SFR fiber network, this migration may require installation work for the installation of a new fiber optics at home.
SFR’s decision is part of a desire to modernize its infrastructure. For several years, the operator has favored the deployment of the FTTH, a technology more expensive to install, but offering much better long -term performance. The other major access providers, such as Orange, Bouygues and Free, have already abandoned hybrid technologies for a long time to focus on 100 % fiber networks.
For customers, the abandonment of the coaxial network means a clear improvement in terms of connection and connection stability. However, this transition arouses some questions, in particular concerning certain advanced features, such as the IPV4 Fullstack or the Bridge mode, whose future within the new offers has not yet been clearly specified by SFR.
The gradual disappearance of the coaxial symbolizes the end of a technological model inherited from the distribution of television (by cable), a hybrid technology which will have contributed to the development of broadband Internet in France. Its end was inevitable and essential for services more suited to digital uses of today and tomorrow. We now have the date of his funeral.