Free’s fibre network hits 5 million milestone

Iliad Group’s French fibre operator Free has announced it has reached five million fibre subscribers in the region. 

The company revealed 70% of its fixed-line subscribers are connected to fibre.

Free provides fibre coverage to more than 23,400 municipalities, and to over 33 million households.

Over the past few years, the provider has invested over €10 billion and more than 40% of its fixed-line revenue into fibre.

Italy’s Iliad Telecom also announced earlier this month it is close to passing the milestone of 10 million homes with fibre in the region following one year after the launch of the Iliad FTTH offer in the country.

Nicolas Thomas, CEO of Free, said: “This new milestone is the outcome of the incredible efforts of our 3,600 employees dedicated to fiber. Their expertise and passion for their work are the keys to our success and I am extremely proud of what they do every day in the field to serve our subscribers. Our performance also proves how we have got our ambitious strategy right, namely providing the best connectivity for as many people as possible. It’s a major challenge for society and a crucial factor for ensuring regional competitiveness.”

Iliad reported it turned in revenues of €2.2 billion for the quarter to March, up 8% year-on-year. Organic revenues in France were up 7.6% while Italy was up 12.6% and sales in Poland grew by 7.3%.