Freebox Delta passes 100k customer milestone

The Freebox Delta

French service provider Free has passed the 100,000 subscriber milestone for its recently launched high-end Freebox Delta box.

The company said signing up new customers in such numbers for the device represented a considerable success in a market where the average entry price for entry devices began at less than €10 a month. It said that the Freebox Delta provided value because it combined a large number of services and functionalities, despite the high overall price.

Free launched the Freebox Delta in December with considerable fanfare at a premium price of €49.99 a month, with a cheaper device, the Freebox One, launched at the same time. The launch met with considerable scepticism in a market characterised by intense price competition.

Freebox Delta provides access to Netflix’s basic offering as part of the subscription – a first for Free, which had resisted integration with Netflix to date.

“We have been surprised by this huge success. The Freebox Delta is a marvel equally for its 10G fibre connection, its aggregation of XDSL and 4G, its incredible WiFi, inclusion of Netflix and for the exceptional Devialet sound and I forget what else! It’s a new reference device that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world,” said Free co-founder Xavier Niel.

“Today, we are providing the box to new subscribers without problem, even if we didn’t anticipate such a success. Only a few thousand subscribers were able to take delivery in December and we offer our excuses once again for these delays.”