Grand Est: white areas disappear thanks to New Deal Mobile

Hello? It cuts here! Phone response is still common in some areas of the Grand Est. In the north of Aube and in the south of the Marne, the commissioning of a 4G tower in Dampierre (Aube) was a relief. villages.” For residents, businesses, farmers … All these years we have been deprived of the network. It was very painful and unpleasant. Today, I no longer hear reproaches, this is only happiness! “

Something to make rural life attractive at a time when digital technologies are becoming more and more important. Like Brébant, this little Marne village of 80 inhabitants that is no longer cut off from the world… Or even Balignicourt, east of Dampierre, where Orlan, the villager of Aube, is already feeling better. “Before the Pylon, we could only access the Internet through the old satellite subscriptions, at very low speeds and without access to ADSL. Today, we can share connections thanks to our phones while waiting for fiber to arrive. »

By 2027, 5,000 pylons will be installed in rural areas.

The territory owes this decision to New Deal Mobile, a government plan aimed at destroying the vast majority of white territories in France: by 2027, 5,000 pylons should be installed in the countryside. The Dampier house is the 2500th, so a symbolic inauguration took place in mid-July with the participation of Jean-Noel Barrot, Minister Delegate for Telecommunications.

The originality of this plan involves the collaboration of Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free. Each time, one of 4 mobile operators is chosen to build a pylon that will house 4G antennas before sharing it with their competitors. According to Nicolas Guerin, President of the French Telecommunications Federation, the local lifts allow you to choose your seats: “The communities have told us that there is a hole in the coverage in this sector between Aub and Marne. At this time, we determine the area, then work with local elected officials and the state so that 15 months after the purchase of the land, the pylon will be in operation. »

Various methods were used to identify all white areas. On the Marne, for example, the residents themselves reported their measurements using a mobile app. In Oba, the county council sent a car to cross all the roads. Inside are “suitcases with antennas that determine the situation for 4 operators with an accuracy of up to a meter! Philippe Pichery, President of Obua, points out.

According to ARCEP, the telecommunications regulator, 306 New Deal Mobile 4G pylons have already been activated in Grand Est. 196 other projects have already been implemented in a more or less long term.