3G, 4G, 5G: Is France set to end unlimited internet usage contracts?

Contrary to rumours published in some media outlets, France is not set to abolish mobile packages that offer unlimited data access, but it is encouraging people to use WiFi instead of 4G or 5G where possible.

The message comes from the environmental transition agency l’Agence de la transition écologique (Ademe) and communications authority l’Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques, des Postes et de la Distribution de la Presse (Arcep).

Environmental impact of 4G and 5G

A joint study from both groups showed that the digital sector accounted for 4.4% of the national carbon footprint in 2022, with 46% coming from mobile data consumption.

Unlimited data packages which, in practice, offer hundreds of gigabytes (GB, Go in French) of data access to users, are energy-hungry and more polluting than using existing WiFi infrastructure. The environmental impact of using 4G and 5G is some 10 times greater than that of WiFi, the groups state.

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And while major data packages appear attractive to some users - especially when they are competitively priced (for example 300 GB for €18.99 per month - the agencies found that on average, people in France consume much less than this; an average of 14 GB per month only.

France is one of a few countries in the world to offer such packages, Ademe said, with many other nations continuing to charge users per GB use, and rarely offering packages of 100GB or more. France has one of the cheapest rates per GB, and ranks 9th in the list of the most ‘financially advantageous’ countries per gigabyte, it said.

Activities that use a lot of data include streaming video, making video calls, downloading and playing online games, uploading video to social media, or running private security cameras. Many people might do these activities regularly, but tend to use WiFi at home rather than always using their mobile data.

Read also: How can I find the internet speed potential of our home in France? 

Now, because of the environmental impact of 4G and 5G, Ademe is encouraging people to use WiFi instead of mobile data, where possible.

Similarly, some operators still do not offer unlimited data packages. For example, Prixtel has packages where users only pay for the GB they use. This could be cheaper for those who use relatively small amounts of data rather than paying for a lot of ‘theoretical’ data that they never actually use.

‘Use WiFi’ - and new data packages?

In a bid to tackle the issue, Ademe is in favour of introducing new pricing systems for data packages, including new gradual pricing bands for mobile data (reports Le Parisien-Aujourd'hui en France). 

A draft law on the issue is reportedly being prepared in the hope of prompting parliamentary discussions (a rumour that Ademe has denied, see below).

The agency’s suggestions have (unsurprisingly) not been widely welcomed by mobile network providers. Many use large package offers as a major selling point to attract new mobile phone users.

Xavier Niel, the boss of the network Free, simply wrote on X (Twitter) on the question of whether to introduce a law on the issue: “No.”

Roland Marion, director of the circular economy at Ademe, denied that the agency has been preparing a draft law.

“That's not Ademe's role,” he told Merci pour l’info. “We are more interested in knowing what the [environmental] impact is. We have found that there is more impact when using 4G or 5G than if using WiFi.”

He said that in contrast, Ademe is not calling for the abolition of mobile packages with “too many GB”, but "to inform and encourage people to use WiFi rather than 4G/5G when they can”.