Drive to bring 100% fibre coverage to Brittany

Efforts to bring fibre internet coverage to the entirety of Brittany are well underway, with smaller islands along the wild western coast benefitting from unique technology.

Special antennae bring fibre connections from the mainland to remote outposts such as Molène (Finistère), which has less than 200 permanent residents. 

The antennae ‘ping’ this connectivity over the shoreline to the island, allowing the island to receive the same high-speed internet as mainland regions of the department.

“We have no choice. We all have running water and electricity. It would be scandalous not to have fibre. Stopping at 95% of the population would mean that 5% would be left out. That's untenable today’, said president of the region Loïg Chesnais-Girard to TF1. 

The work is set to be finished in 2026, and will make Brittany – despite its rugged terrain and island inhabitants – the first region in France to provide fibre to 100% of people.

€2 billion project

The project to bring fibre to every corner of the region is being shared in cost by public network service Orange, topped up with funding from local authorities. 

In other areas, other major telecom providers such as Bouygues are also participating, laying cables to connect parts of Brittany’s other small islands.

Without the involvement of Orange, it is unlikely the project would get off the ground, as any private investor would fail to reap an economic benefit from the heady investment. 

Key public facilities on the remote islands already have fibre, but in Molène for example this is limited to the mairie and post office, to allow for quick communication back to the mainland. 

One alternative is satellite internet – provided by Orange as well as private companies including Elon Musk’s ‘Starlink’ but these can be expensive. 

Read more: Did you know? Orange also provides internet via satellite to customers in France

Will residents make switch? 

Residents will be free to choose whether they want to opt-in for new fibre contracts with internet providers on the market. 

Whether they will choose to do so is another matter. 

“I don't have internet [at my property]. I like it as simple as possible,” said one Molène resident to TF1. 

“I don't use a lot of bandwidth, I don't need a huge bandwidth,” said another, doubting whether they would try to benefit from the service. 

Officials however believe the connectivity will bring the kind of inhabitants the rural islands need year-round. 

“It's absolutely essential that we maintain the population, that we make it grow in a reasonable way because we still need to keep the authenticity... We still need young couples with children. All in all, yes, fibre is a huge asset for the islands,” said Molène mayor Didier Delhalle. 

The improved connection will allow people to work from home from the islands, hopefully bringing this new young crowd. 

Major internet changes in France 

Brittany is not the only area of France to see old-style, ‘ADSL’ internet connection end.

This form of connection for phone lines and internet is being phased out gradually by 2030, to be fully replaced by the quicker and more efficient fibre. 

Each year, more and more communes will gradually be cut off from the copper network. 

By the end of January 2026, new contracts for ADSL-based internet or phone connections will no longer be available, meaning on islands such as Molène, inhabitants may not have a choice to side-step the new technology for long. 

Read more: Copper internet being phased out in France

Read more: Warning over hard sell of fibre internet as France’s copper network closes