Arcep reports declining French telecom revenues amid rising 5G adoption

The French telecommunications regulator, Arcep, reported that retail revenues for operators fell to 9.1 billion euros (excluding tax) in the second quarter of 2026, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly decline. This represents a 1.3% decrease compared to the previous year. The decline is primarily driven by the mobile sector, which saw revenues drop by 4% due to price reductions implemented in 2024.

In contrast, fixed-line services saw a slight recovery, with revenues rising 0.4% to 4.4 billion euros. The average monthly cost for high-speed internet subscriptions remained relatively stable at 37.3 euros, while the average mobile SIM card cost decreased by 70 cents to 13.7 euros.

Regarding technology adoption, 5G usage is growing significantly, with 37.5 million active 5G SIM cards, accounting for 44% of the total market—a 10-point increase over the previous year. Mobile data consumption reached 4.6 exabytes during the quarter, an increase of 9.4%, though this growth rate has slowed compared to previous periods. Meanwhile, SMS usage continues a long-term decline, with 12.2 billion messages sent compared to 16.35 billion in the same quarter the prior year.