2023-10-05 17:40:06
Already clearly visible since 2022 in mobile, inflation has also taken hold of fixed lines (optical fiber and ADSL). According to figures revealed on October 5 by Arcep, the telecoms regulator, “the average consumer bill for the use of high or very high speed Internet access amounts to 34.50 euros excluding tax per month” in the second quarter of 2023: it is 40 cents more than on March 31 and 1.3 euros more than a year earlier (33.20 euros). This gives an annual increase of 3.9%.
Inflation is also seen in classic fixed subscriptions, without high or very high speed Internet: “The average monthly bill for these services increased by 1.3 euros in one year to reach 24.10 euros excluding tax, a level not seen in more than ten years”indicates Arcep in its quarterly observatory.
For several months, Benjamin Gervais, the founding president of Zone ADSL, a price comparison site, has observed a hidden price increase, a few euros more here, disappearance of promotions there. To get to the bottom of it, he quantified it in a study carried out between September 2022 and September 2023. Result: an increase of 3.5% over one year in the average price of an Internet box, adjusted for promotions or fees applied by operators, at 37.05 euros per month. “This remains below inflation in France [4,8 % en août, selon l’Insee] but, on entry-level subscriptions, the increase is significantly greater”observe Benjamin Gervais.
An observation shared by the barometer produced by Ariase, another price comparator: in September, “in the entry-level fiber subscription segment, no operator has offered a (back-to-school promotional) offer, which explains the price increase of almost 15% over one year”. RED, SFR’s low-cost brand, which remains the cheapest operator on the market at 28 euros per month, has increased its average price by 21.7% in one year, according to Zone ADSL. “Operators have wanted to end their battle to acquire new customers through promotions for a long time. Widespread inflation was the catalyst, if not the pretext, for this trade truce”analyzes Benjamin Gervais.
From ADSL to optical fiber
Operators, who have long complained in recent years about the continued erosion of their prices, justify this turnaround by the inflation they are supporting, mainly on energy costs and salaries. But the rise in prices is also due to their customers switching from ADSL to optical fiber, a service often billed more expensively. “In total, the number of subscribers to this technology reaches 19.8 million at the end of June 2023, which represents 62% of high and very high speed Internet subscriptions (+11 points in one year) », details Arcep. This proportion will continue to increase with the planned closure of Orange’s copper network in 2030, on which ADSL is based.
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