what we think of the offers of the operator in the red square

SFR is an incumbent operator in France which has enjoyed contrasting ratings in recent years, particularly in terms of its internet offer. But what is the operator ultimately worth overall in 2023 and is its reputation still in jeopardy? Here is our opinion on SFR.

Who is SFR?

SFR is a telecommunications operator in France which was created in 1987 under the name Société Française du Radiotéléphone. In 2011, SFR became the property of Vivendi, before being sold to Altice in 2014.

SFR started as a mobile phone operator, but later expanded its business to include internet and television services. Over the years, SFR has acquired other telecommunications companies, including Neuf Cegetel and Numericable. In 2011, SFR launched its low-cost offer called RED (by SFR) and competing with brands such as Free, B&You and Sosh. If you want to know more about its low cost operator, here is our complete review of Red by SFR.

However, the firm has struggled in recent years, especially in terms of service quality and customer satisfaction. In 2018, Altice announced a major corporate restructuring, which included the elimination of many positions and cost reductions.

Despite these challenges, SFR remains one of the leading telecommunications operators in France, with millions of customers using its mobile, Internet and television services. Discover our complete opinion on SFR.

SFR’s mobile, fiber and ADSL offers

Mobile offer

Currently, SFR offers a range of mobile plans adapted to the different needs and budgets of users. Their offer includes non-binding plans with a variable amount of mobile data, ranging from 100 MB to 220 GB per month, all finally without binding under 4G+ and 5G networks.

SFR mobile plans also include paid options such as video streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc.), music (Deezer) or sports (RMC Sport and Pass Ligue 1 Amazon Prime). We are also entitled to more classic options, such as data additions, reductions on box offers and discounts for loyal customers. Like the other operators, SFR acts as a smartphone reseller and offers a large and up-to-date catalog, fortunately.

Regarding the data provided for abroad, the big advantage of SFR packages (unlike RED for example) is to keep an envelope data substantial for European and overseas networks. For example, the 140 GB plan offers 100 GB of its amount for these destinations, which is far from negligible for travelers or professionals.

Internet offer

SFR has greatly reduced its range to now only offer three SFR box Fibre/ADSL offers in order to gain clarity. The Box 7 is gradually giving way to the Box 8 and is only available with the SFR Fiber Starter offer. This offers speeds of up to 500 Mb/s and download and upload speed. The SFR Fiber Power box goes up to 2 Gb/s in download (700 Mb/s in upload speed) and finally the maximum offer, the SFR Fiber Premium can go up to 8 Gb/s in download (1 Gb/ s upstream). We are more or less facing the same amounts as the Fiber offer from Free, all with similar pricing. On the other hand, on the side of real speeds, if we look at the Nperf barometer for the year 2022, SFR is still dead last on the average speed, the fault of its grip on the cable network (THD) which lowers the average compared to fiber. The latter is still very well established with the operator in the red square, a remnant of the network implemented by Numéricable at the time and which is still used today for areas still poorly served by fiber.

Check your eligibility

Before placing an order, it is strongly recommended to test your eligibility to find out if your home can receive a Fiber or ADSL connection from SFR. To do this, the dedicated SFR platform simply asks you to enter your address or your current landline number.

Please note, however, that as with all internet service providers, the quality of service may vary depending on the geographical location of the user and the quality of the local infrastructure.

La qualité de réseau chez l’opérateur SFR

Le réseau SFR couvre plus de 99 % du territoire et 95 % de la population en réseau 3G/4G et 5G selon l’ARCEP.

L’appréciation globale du réseau mobile de SFR en France est variable en fonction de l’endroit où l’on se trouve. Malgré les efforts de l’opérateur pour améliorer son réseau, les utilisateurs de SFR signalent parfois des problèmes de qualité de service, notamment des zones sans réseau, des débits faibles ou des coupures intermittentes. Néanmoins, ces problèmes peuvent être liés à des facteurs externes tels que la géographie ou la densité de la population. Orange, par exemple, est bien plus loué pour la qualité de son réseau même en zone de forte densité.

Concernant la 5G, SFR a commencé à déployer son réseau en 2019 et couvre actuellement une partie du territoire, français. Celui-ci est évidemment bien plus concentré autour des grandes agglomérations, mais l’opérateur dispose tout de même d’un nombre important de sites 3,5 GHz (que l’on considère comme la vraie 5G) avec 4126 antennes, juste derrière Bouygues Télécom (4292 antennes) et Orange (4126 antennes).

Selon le dernier baromètre NPerf datant de 2022, SFR est le second réseau 4G/5G le plus efficace en France, quasiment au même niveau que celui de Bouygues Télécom.

Le service client de SFR

Le service client de SFR est souvent critiqué en France pour son manque de réactivité, sa qualité de service et son accessibilité. Les plaintes courantes concernent des temps d’attente excessifs pour contacter un conseiller, des difficultés à obtenir une assistance technique ou une résolution de problème rapide, ainsi que des frais cachés ou des augmentations de tarifs sans préavis. L’opérateur pâtit encore de cette réputation d’opérateur peu fiable, notamment par cet aspect.

Cependant, SFR a récemment mis en place des initiatives pour améliorer son service client, particulièrement en offrant un service d’assistance en ligne 24h/24 et 7 j/7, ainsi que des outils de dépannage en ligne pour résoudre les problèmes courants. Ils ont également mis en place des programmes de formation pour leurs conseillers afin d’améliorer la qualité du service client. Néanmoins, l’opérateur a tendance à recourir très souvent aux sollicitations de sa clientèle dans le but d’obtenir des avis sur ses services, mais aussi en profiter pour les alimenter en publicité, ce qui a tendance à agacer la majorité des concernés.

Les meilleurs forfaits SFR du moment

Si SFR ne vous a pas convaincu par ses offres mobiles, vous pouvez consulter les meilleurs forfaits mobiles du moment grâce à notre comparateur.

You can also consult our comparison of Fiber and ADSL offers.

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