One of the largest internet operators in France has warned its subscribers of an increase in its services. You will have to watch your next bills.
Mobile operators and Internet service providers are constantly evolving their offers but also their prices in an attempt to align with the market. In France, each of the four major operators – SFR, Free, Orange and Bouygues Télécom – tries to offer subscriptions that are more advantageous than the others, in terms of price or services, to attract new consumers.
But in recent years, the prices of mobile telephone services or Internet subscriptions have been increasing at a “sustained pace”, as the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Distribution of Communications has repeatedly noted. the press (Arcep). According to a MonPetitForfait barometer, the average price of an internet package for the year 2023 was €30.89/month. An increase of 7.8% compared to the year 2022. In this month of April 2024, the monthly cost of an internet package amounts to €31.43/month, a figure certainly down from €2.89 % in comparison with April 2023, but in a high average.
And information that recently fell into the mailboxes of subscribers to Bouygues Télécom services will not help anything. The French telecommunications operator justified in an email addressed to its subscribers, an increase in its monthly rate for Bbox, Fiber or ADSL subscriptions: “we inform you that as of June 2, 2024, the monthly rate of your Bbox subscription for your line […] will increase by €2”, we can read. The reference telecom platform, Cablereview, reported a Bouygues customer who initially paid her bill €30.98/month for the Bbox offer. Once revalued on June 2, 2024, its amount will rise to €32.98.
As a reminder, a subscription to the Bbox offer includes numerous services. Consumers benefit from very high-speed Internet access, unlimited messaging and calls, more than 180 channels included as well as a catalog of the best video-on-demand offers. But in the email received, no details concerning possible advantages or additional services, which would justify this increase, are mentioned. In the details of its message, Bouygues Télécom emphasizes its performance and recalls its position as leader in the nPerf 2023 barometer statistics concerning fixed connections and wifi.
Other operators such as SFR and Orange have also increased their prices recently. At the start of the year, Orange announced an increase of €2 for subscribers to Open range packages. Initially scheduled for March 1, 2024, it should finally come into force this month. Same thing for all customers with a Red By SFR telephone plan, who have seen an increase of €0.99/month since January 2024. Conversely, the Free operator declared that it was countering competition by blocking the tariffs of all its packages, until 2027.