Telecom Regulatory Authority (ARCEP) on Tuesday sent a 1 October unusually direct criticism at the Free (Iliad Group) operator, which it accuses of embellishing the performance of its latest offering in broadband internet.
The telecommunications watchdog said in a statement the performance promised in offering Free were “likely to mislead users.”
A few hours earlier, the “troublemaker Internet” announced what he called his even revolution. “the fastest rate in Europe optical fiber without changing the price”
The group announced as it “increased the speed fiber optic subscribers Freebox Revolution to 1 gigabit / second in reception, and 200 megabits / second for transmission. ” This increase in speed was described as “automatic.”
“Except that Free has invested heavily in August and September 2013, in improving its interconnection capabilities, advertisements date does not match the experience of the users who will view online video, “said ARCEP.In fact, the authority considers that such a rate is” depends not only design of the access network that communicates Free today, but also depends on the design of its entire infrastructure (collection, interconnection …). “
Other Ad Free pinned by ARCEP: the promise to its ADSL subscribers benefit “for the same price” of VDSL2 technology, which allows for faster internet from traditional copper network
VDSL2 Testing Free
illustrated his statement by a flow duration curve peaking at 100 megabits / second, according to “lab tests”.
“Instead of communicating on laboratory results, Free could the results obtained during pre-scale deployments of VDSL in the Dordogne and Gironde, “said ARCEP.
The authorization of an experiment VDSL2 in France was given that ‘April and it concerns the only department of the Dordogne and the Gironde. And extended to the territory, this technology will concern only 16% of all lines.
“Such purely theoretical results do not correspond to actual services can be offered to the general public” and ” Free promise therefore not correspond to the customer experience, “continued ARCEP.Immediate response competition
ARCEP, which reacts only very rarely to condemn a commercial offer output in the day, reminded operators that they are “required to ensure the transparency of deals they offer to users, and to act with respect to fair .-vis their competitors, “
In the afternoon, the rival SFR (Vivendi) operator in the wake unsheathed an offer on VDSL and fiber: it reported the “success of its pilot fiber to 1 gigabit / second, launched in June” and announced “generalize this flow to its fiber customers 300 megabits / second”, on request and without any price “subject égibilité . “
And at the end of the afternoon, Orange is in turn split a press release announcing that it offered its customers on October 10″ VDSL2 “with” in certain conditions “flow” theoretically superior to 100Mb / s down. “
In the coming months, a working group should consider a draft decree” to regulate the advertising and communication “in the technology sector. This group should bring together government, Fraud (DGCCRF), consumer associations, ARCEP also operators.
(With AFP)