IoT connectivity in France
Updated
In France, permanent roaming is governed by the EU roaming regulation, which generally allows it under wholesale agreements between operators. Of the 4 mobile operators we track there, 0 have switched off 2G and 0 3G, as of 26 October 2026. Sources are listed below each table.
Permanent roaming
EU/EEA rule. M2M falls within the EU Roaming Regulation, which leaves permanent roaming for M2M to commercial wholesale agreements that may include clauses against it; BEREC concluded in March 2025 that no further regulation was needed, and most member states permit it, Belgium being the main exception.
Sources: berec.europa.eu, berec.europa.eu, cullen-international.com.
2G and 3G shutdowns by operator
| Operator | Network | Status | Date | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bouygues Telecom | 2G | Planned | 15 December 2026 | bouyguestelecom.fr, arcep.fr Zone-by-zone switch-off: from 15 Nov 2026 in Brest, Guipavas, Nancy and Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, then 1-15 Dec 2026 elsewhere; network fully off on 15 Dec 2026. |
| Bouygues Telecom | 3G | Planned | 2029 | bouyguestelecom.fr, arcep.fr Bouygues says 3G will be switched off in 2029 after 2G; Arcep table says end of 2029. |
| Free Mobile | 3G | No plan announced | none | arcep.fr, universfreebox.com Arcep table: Free 3G end date not yet announced. Free is already reducing its own 3G sites by refarming 900 MHz to 4G (new step 15 Dec 2025) and uses Orange 3G roaming until 2028. Free has no 2G network of its own (2G via Orange roaming, so it follows Orange's 2G calendar). |
| Orange | 2G | Planned | 15 December 2026 | reseaux.orange.fr, universfreebox.com Metropolitan France. Phased regional switch-off: Bayonne-Biarritz-Anglet 31 Mar 2026, Landes/Pyrenees-Atlantiques 12 May, 7 more south-west departments 9 Jun, Nice 22 Sep, 44 departments 6 Oct, last 43 departments 20 Oct 2026. Univers Freebox confirms the 20 Oct 2026 wave took place (2G gone from almost all of mainland France). 2G stays on only in regulatory white zones until 1-15 Dec 2026. Start was postponed from end-2025. Overseas territories follow separate calendars. |
| Orange | 3G | Planned | 2028 | reseaux.orange.fr, arcep.fr Orange says 3G will be switched off in 2028 (mainland and overseas). Some secondary sources phrase it as starting from end-2028. |
| SFR | 2G | Planned | 15 December 2026 | universfreebox.com, selectra.info Switch-off starts 15 Nov 2026 in very dense zones (to 30 Nov), then nationwide 1-15 Dec 2026 (Univers Freebox). Selectra, citing the Arcep table, gives 15 Nov 2026 as SFR's date. No SFR page is cited; sources disagree slightly on phasing. |
| SFR | 3G | Planned | 2028 | arcep.fr, selectra.info Arcep table lists end of 2028 for SFR 3G; Selectra lists 2028. No month announced. |
What it means for IoT devices in France
- 2G still runs on some networks, but plan new devices on 4G-based technologies (LTE Cat-1bis, LTE-M or NB-IoT where available): 2G is being closed across the region.
- Private delivery works the same from France: device data reaches your cloud over private links. See private delivery.
Other countries in Europe
Full tables: permanent roaming rules by country and 2G and 3G shutdown dates.
Frequently asked questions
Is permanent roaming allowed for IoT SIMs in France?
France applies the EU roaming regulation, which covers the EU and EEA. M2M falls within the EU Roaming Regulation, which leaves permanent roaming for M2M to commercial wholesale agreements that may include clauses against it; BEREC concluded in March 2025 that no further regulation was needed, and most member states permit it, Belgium being the main exception.
When is 2G switched off in France?
Status by operator, as of 26 October 2026. Bouygues Telecom: planned for 2026-12-15; Orange: planned for 2026-12-15; SFR: planned for 2026-12-15.
When is 3G switched off in France?
Status by operator, as of 26 October 2026. Bouygues Telecom: planned for 2029; Free Mobile: no shutdown plan announced; Orange: planned for 2028; SFR: planned for 2028.