Orange ADSL Disconnect: 900,000 Homes Affected

For 763 French municipalities, the deadline falls tomorrow. Orange will disconnect their copper network: no more ADSL, no more traditional fixed line, no more television via this connection. Around 900,000 homes are affected.

Among the affected cities are major cities. The 6th arrondissement of Lyon loses its copper connection, just like Ajaccio, Laval, Auxerre, Meaux or Villeneuve-d’Ascq. In Corsica, three other municipalities accompany the prefecture: Afa, San-Martino-di-Lota and Santa-Maria-di-Lota.

Remember that Orange has postponed the end of ADSL marketing in 8,000 other municipalities for one year. According to documents published in December, nearly 23 million homes – or half of the country – will be able to continue to subscribe to ADSL offers until January 31, 2027. Reason: the deployment of fiber is lagging behind in many areas.

The end of copper, spread over seven years

Orange is dismantling its infrastructure gradually, over seven years. A few days ago, 162 municipalities lost their connection. Tomorrow, 763 more follow. In January 2027, 2,145 additional municipalities will switch, until the end of 2030. In total, more than 40 million homes will migrate to fiber.

The process obeys strict rules set by Arcep. Orange notifies each municipality three years before the actual cutoff. First there is a “commercial closure”: it becomes impossible to take out a new ADSL subscription in the area, although existing subscribers keep their line. Then, at least twelve months later, the definitive technical closure occurs.

This chronology explains the current paradox. The 763 municipalities which will lose their copper network tomorrow were warned three years ago, when the schedule seemed to be holding. But since then, delays have accumulated elsewhere. Nicolas Guérin, secretary general of Orange, justified this massive postponement by the desire to “do not take any risks when it comes to disconnecting subscribers”. At the end of 2025, 94% of French homes were connected to fiber. The remaining 6% are problematic.

Residents can check their situation on the interactive maps put online by Orange and the Ministry of the Economy. Just enter your postal code. Some households waited until the last few days to migrate, with the complications that this entails. Problem: around 3,700 homes in these municipalities still encounter technical difficulties which prevent them from being connected to fiber.