SFR, Orange, Free… Why the price of subscriptions is likely to soar

In France, telecommunications operators (SFR, Orange, Bouygues, Free) have been waging a merciless price war for ten years, with the backing of low-cost offers and telephone and internet subscriptions for a handful monthly euros.

French consumers thus benefited from the lowest prices in Europe.

But lately, observes Le Figaro, the promotions are less numerous, and the prices less flashy. You may even have noticed that the price of your subscription has increased significantly over the past few months.

In 2021, the price of subscriptions thus increased by 3.1% for mobile and 5.1% for fixed, according to the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution (Arcep). .

In the particular case:

And the trend could increase. But how can this reversal be explained?

First of all, there is inflation, which does not spare operators’ energy bills. But not only. According to Le Figaro, during the last ten years, the four operators have nurtured the hope of aspiring one of them, and becoming a three-way market. Today, after a decade of effort, the scenario seems impossible. It’s disillusionment, and so you have to adapt.

Firms have therefore changed tack on the strategy side, in order to restore their margins. For this, explains the newspaper, “The simplest thing is still to ease off on promotions. Not only are average prices going up, but consumers are more loyal, which lowers the cost of acquiring a new customer.”

So don’t be surprised if your monthly subscription costs you more and more in the coming months…