How to choose a mobile carrier by coverage where you live

National coverage percentages say little about your home, your office or your daily commute. Carriers differ a lot from one street to the next. Here is how to compare them for the places that matter to you.

1. List the places you actually use

Write down the two or three addresses where you spend most time: home, work, a second home or a regular route. A carrier that is excellent at home but poor at the office is often the wrong choice, especially if you rely on your phone for work.

2. Compare masts per carrier near each address

Search each address on the map. The town page shows:

• The carrier breakdown: how many sites each carrier operates in the area.
• The nearest mast for each carrier, with distance and compass direction.
• The generations on each mast, so you can see who offers 5G nearby.

As a rule of thumb, a carrier with a mast within 1 km in town (or 2–3 km in open countryside) and a clear line of sight will usually give good service. A carrier whose nearest mast is much further away, or on the other side of a hill, is a risk.

Our carriers page gives the national picture: how many sites each network has in France and how much of it has 5G.

3. Check measured quality, not just coverage

Masts tell you where equipment is. To see how well networks actually perform, use two other sources:

• Arcep's "Mon réseau mobile" map (monreseaumobile.arcep.fr), from the French telecoms regulator, shows each carrier's coverage maps and the results of field measurements of calls and data.
• The carriers' own coverage maps, which are more detailed but drawn by the carriers themselves.

If all three sources agree that one carrier is strong at your addresses, it is a safe choice.

4. Understand what budget brands use

There are only four mobile networks in mainland France: Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile. Every other offer uses one of them:

• Low-cost brands of the big four, such as Sosh (Orange), RED by SFR and B&You (Bouygues Telecom), use exactly the same network as their parent company.
• Virtual operators (MVNOs) rent capacity on one or more of the four networks. Their coverage is that of the host network, although some features (such as 5G or Wi-Fi calling) may arrive later.

So compare networks first, then pick the best price on the network that works for you. The carriers page lists which brands run on which network.

5. For businesses

For a shop or an office, the same method applies, with a few extra points:

• Indoor coverage matters more than outdoor. Test inside the building, ideally with a SIM from each candidate network, before signing a multi-year contract.
• Consider Wi-Fi calling as a backup indoors; all four French networks support it on compatible phones.
• A 4G/5G router as backup for the internet line is worth considering if fibre is not available or a cut would stop the business. Our guide on router placement helps get the best from it.

6. Test before you commit

Many offers in France are without commitment. A cheap prepaid or no-commitment SIM on the network you are considering, tried for a week at your key addresses, is the most reliable test. If you switch, you can keep your number: call 3179 from your current line to get your RIO code and give it to the new carrier.