SFR is giving its subscribers a nice gift by integrating 5G into all its mobile plans at no extra cost, and this in a lasting manner. Enough to attract new customers and retain current ones, while the operator faces a difficult economic situation.
The weather is not good at the moment for subscribers to mobile phone plans! With the exception of Free, all major operators have continued to increase their prices in recent months, citing inflation in general and rising energy costs in particular. But that doesn’t stop you from having nice surprises from time to time! On the occasion of the 2024 Olympic Games, Orange announced a few days ago that it would temporarily offer 5G to its 4G subscribers, without additional cost or change of plan, for a period of three months (see our article).
Against all expectations, SFR responded to its rival with a shock announcement in a press release : “From mid-June, SFR will offer 5G to all of its general public subscribers with a data plan”. Yes, you read correctly, the operator promises a switch from 4G to 5G that is both free and permanent, unlike Orange. This should please the operator’s subscribers! And there is a real need, given that the latter has decided to stop the price war and the race for subscribers to adopt a more risky strategy, which consists of increasing prices while retaining the subscribers who earn the most .
5G SFR: a free, automatic and permanent change for everyone
The migration will be free and automatic for SFR Mobile subscribers who do not yet have 5G. To be able to take advantage of it, it is obviously necessary to have a 5G compatible smartphone. Generally, all mid- to high-end phones released after 2021 are, but it’s best to check. Please note, however, that the measure does not concern the RED by SFR 4G packages, nor the smallest of the SFR packages, namely the 4G offer with 2 call hours and 100 MB of data, at 5.99 euros per month. . For the five other SFR mobile plans, whether with or without commitment, the migration will be effective. And this also applies to new customers of the brand! Given the number of subscribers, the transition may take some time. SFR is counting on a total shift by mid-July, shortly before the start of the Paris Olympic Games, which begin on Friday July 26.
After having smoothed the price of its Internet offers last March, by now offering a single price, without a promotional period (see our article), SFR is doing the same with its mobile offers, since there is no longer any distinction between 4G and 5G. The operator promises “a new mobile range that is simpler, more generous, with more data, ultra-competitive and unique prices for the majority of its offers”. Thus, it offers 20 GB of data without commitment for 15.99 euros per month (5G included), or 200 GB for 19.99 euros per month (5G included).
SFR is going through a very delicate period. Indeed, its parent company is entangled in Portugal in a corruption scandal which is shaking the very foundations of the group, led by business magnate Patrick Drahi. This difficult context, coupled with a less efficient network than that of its competitors according to Arcep data, weighs heavily on the operator’s performance, which continues to see its customer base and financial indicators erode significantly. worrying – almost 500,000 subscribers in its mobile segment slammed the door during the first quarter, which is almost as many as for the whole of 2023 (see our article)!
Also, his announcement is a great communication move. Because if most of its modern packages have already been 5G for several months, the fact of offering 5G to its old subscribers, without forcing them to change their offer, should build their loyalty a little more. It now remains to be seen how Bouygues Telecom and Free will react to these changes and whether they too will make a move on the accessibility of 5G.