The National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) delivers an “observatory” every month, in other words an inventory of the deployment of antennas dedicated to mobile networks on French territory. If it is above all a question of quantifying the number of new authorized sites, operator by operator, and that of the antennas freshly activated in France, there are additional details which go beyond the observation of what “The dynamics of the deployment of 5G is always remarkable”according to the terms of the ANFR.
In addition to the deployment of 5G antennas distributed according to various frequency bands, operators continue that of 4G antennas. A dive into agency spreadsheets allows us to note that there is movement at this level, at Free Mobile. While at the publication of the July 2025 observatory, no 4G antenna existed on the 900 MHz band, the Xavier Niel firm had, a month later, of 6,796 sites authorized to issue radio waves by ANFR, of which 3,873 are already in service. We note in passing that Orange has 4 sites authorized on the same frequencies, which indicates that it could more massively deploy 4G 900 MHz antennas in the coming months. Bouygues Telecom and SFR position their 4G only on the 700, 800, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz bands.
Why use these new frequencies?
Free mobile 4G antennas on the 900 MHz band, although quickly deployed, are still available in small numbers if they are compared to its total of 32,605 authorized sites, all frequencies combined. Nevertheless, these new antennas have a very concrete interest in the user: the lowest frequencies have a wide range, but also a better penetration in buildings, despite lower flows than those of the highest frequencies. With the activation of these new antennas, we can therefore hope to capture indoors, quite simply.
Free’s objectives do not stop there, as the note Freebox universe. The operator, like his competitors, quickly advances on the subject of 5G SA (standalone), that is to say a more efficient 5G than the network in place since 2020, and operating without relying on the basis of a 4G network. This is what Free Mobile calls, in its commercial offers, 5G+ and has been offering since the end of spring on the iPhone since their generation 15. This 5G+, therefore, is based on the 3500 MHz band, but can also operate on the basis of 700 and 3500 MHz antennas operating in concert (what is called aggregation). By deploying 4G 900 MHz antennas, Free therefore prepares the terrain to reallocate 4G 700 MHz antennas to 5G+, or even 5G, and try to catch up with Orange, always classified number 1 of French operators by ARCEP.
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