A study by Arcep shows that only dense areas are really equipped with the new technology

The deployment of 5G is underway in the territory. Theoretically, this new technology makes it possible to take advantage of speeds never reached with smartphones. A survey published by Arcep this Friday, however, points to the disappointing speeds of 5G, reports Phonandroid. The telecommunications gendarme has carried out more than a million tests on devices eligible or not for 5G. The results show that the technology is only operational in dense areas.

In rural or intermediate areas, the average speed does not exceed that of 4G. In dense regions, the average 5G speed reaches 227 Mb / s at Orange, or 53% more than in 4G. SFR (145 Mb / s) and Bouygues (130 Mb / s) stand a little further behind. Free, on the other hand, lags behind with speeds reaching 32 Mb / s. The operator is doing better with its 4G (47 Mb / s).

A lot of room for improvement

In intermediate and rural areas, speeds fall to 135 Mb / s and 63 Mb / s respectively at Orange, which has favored 3.5 GHz band antennas in dense sectors. SFR comes second with speeds of 66 Mb / s and 41 Mb / s. Bouygues Telecom is third (53 Mb / s and 31 Mb / s) ahead of Free (35 Mb / s and 27 Mb / s). The classification remains the same in tourist areas.

These poor results of 5G can be attributed to the low number of antennas. “5G is still in its infancy”, tempers Guillaume Decorzent, head of the coverage and mobile investments unit at Arcep. […] There is always a phase of acclimatization and optimization of new technologies, which was also observed for 4G when it was launched ”.