Free Mobile Boasts France’s Largest 3G Network: Plans to Abandon It Revealed!

While 3G technology (UMTS) is nearing the end of its lifespan, it continues to be used by many mobile phones and smartphones. Free Mobile, previously criticized for the less-than-perfect quality of its network, has now emerged as the leading operator in the 3G domain, according to the ANFR observatory’s November 2025 report. As of November 1st, Free Mobile operated 30,116 3G antennas, surpassing its three major competitors.

Free Mobile to Phase Out 3G in Favor of 4G

This leadership position is somewhat unique. The first reason is that the differences between the operators are minimal: Orange has 30,001 antennas, SFR has 29,132, and Bouygues Telecom has 29,842. Thus, Free Mobile’s lead over its competitors is not significantly large.

Additionally, this position is influenced by a recent move from Orange; while Free added 246 antennas in November (with SFR adding 70 and Bouygues 213), Orange removed 203. Without this reduction, which signals a shift away from 3G, Free Mobile would be in second place (Orange had 30,204 antennas as of October 1st), as noted by Allo Forfait.

Moreover, 3G technology is outdated and no longer suitable for modern needs. Theoretically, it still allows for decent speeds (tens of Mb/s, with Free Mobile reporting 21 Mb/s), but in practice, our smartphones switch to the faster and more efficient 4G and 5G networks. Purely 3G devices have become scarce, and switching to 3G practically feels like having no connection at all due to significantly lower speeds and performance compared to modern standards. However, 3G is still used by some 4G smartphones for making calls, as 4G voice (VoLTE) was not widely available on earlier models.

The final, and perhaps most critical point, is that Free Mobile has announced it will be discontinuing its 3G network. The operator will continue to offer 3G services through an itinerant network agreement with Orange, which caps speeds at 384 kb/s. Starting December 2025, the frequencies used for Free Mobile’s own 3G network will begin to be reallocated to 4G. This transition is aimed at providing better speeds and improved 4G coverage, albeit at the expense of the few remaining 3G customers.

It’s important to note that Orange plans to discontinue 3G services by the end of 2028, similar to SFR, while Bouygues Telecom will extend its 3G services until the end of 2029.