Phone plan prices are falling. Some customers can cut their bill in half.
Whether for daily life or even for work, the vast majority of French people have a telephone, sometimes even several. According to a study conducted by Statista, there are 57 million phones in the country, mainly smartphones.
Behind these devices lies an unavoidable expense: the mobile plan. According to Ariase, a comparator specializing in mobile plans, the French will pay, in 2023, an average of 17 euros per month for their subscription, or more than 200 euros annually. Enough to afford essential services such as SMS, calls, and internet browsing.
However, for more than a year, a significant drop in prices has been observed in the mobile telephony market. Package prices have rarely been this low. A bargain to be seized for consumers who can take advantage of it to make significant savings at the end of the year.
In fact, the average price of a telephone plan increased to 10.51 euros in 2024. This reduction was particularly accentuated between June 2023 and June 2024, with a spectacular fall of 22%. The trend even accelerated between May and June 2024, with an additional drop of 8%.
However, this price reduction has a major limitation: it only concerns new customers. A subscriber will not be able to benefit from a price reduction if he remains with his current operator. It is therefore in your best interest to look at what the competition is offering.
For example, Bouygues Telecom has lowered its B&You prices, with a reduction of 1 to 3 euros on several packages. The 20 GB 5G offer is now offered at 9.99 euros monthly, while the 300 GB subscription has been reduced to 16.99 euros. SFR is following the same strategy by reducing the price of its 60 GB package with telephone included, from 40 to 27.99 euros per month.
For its part, Free maintains its position as the most competitive operator on the market. The company has not changed its prices since the start of the year and is even committed to maintaining them until 2027, a policy which appeals to many consumers, to the great dismay of SFR, Bouygues and Orange.
The latter operator seems to be lagging behind in price reductions. Its 2 hours of calls plan with 100 MB of data is billed at 5.99 euros monthly, and its 20 GB offer reaches 17.99 euros.
To take advantage of these new attractive offers, the process is simple. Simply obtain your RIO (Operator Identity Statement) by dialing 3170, then transmit it to the new chosen operator. The latter will take care of the termination with the old supplier and the retention of the number. However, it is crucial to check the remaining commitment period before any change, otherwise it will incur significant financial penalties.
