400,000 SFR Subscribers Must Switch Plans Soon: Are You One of Them?

Soon, hundreds of thousands of SFR subscribers will need to switch to a different fixed plan or another provider. Here’s who will be affected by this deadline.

As the details of SFR’s sale and eventual phase-out become clearer, the company is still managing its fixed and mobile networks. Lately, this has largely involved phasing out outdated service offerings. The rise of fiber optics, driven by the government’s initiative to make it the sole wired internet connection across the country, has forced providers to rethink their strategies. The traditional copper ADSL network is being gradually dismantled, necessitating the migration of its users.

Soon, an additional several hundred thousand customers will need to make a switch. To be more precise, about 400,000. SFR has confirmed that all customers currently using the so-called FTTB (Fiber to the Building) service will need to find a new offer or switch providers by December 31, 2025, at the latest. After this date, their connections will cease to function due to lack of infrastructure.

SFR to Disconnect Internet for 400,000 Subscribers by Year’s End

In a letter to its customers, SFR states it is “forced” to take this step due to “restructuring of the network.” It’s important to note that the FTTB connection is often referred to as “pseudo-fiber” because the optical cable runs only to the building’s last distribution point, after which a copper cable carries the signal to homes, resulting in reduced speeds. In 2021, SFR was ordered to pay one million euros to Free, which had accused it of misleadingly marketing this technology as fiber.

Quoted by Le Parisien, a spokesperson from SFR noted that “subscribers to the cable network constitute a marginal portion of our total fixed network subscriber base of over six million.” The 400,000 customers in question mostly reside in major cities, predominantly in Paris and the Île-de-France region, and are eligible for true fiber optic service. It’s worth mentioning that, for now, bundled offers provided by housing cooperatives are not affected.

RED customers are also facing a similar deadline, although the specific date might vary. Informational emails sent over the summer indicate that the FTTB RED by SFR offers will be discontinued on June 30, 2026.