Have you had a freebox for a long time? These two models will completely stop working

Two Freebox models will soon stop working, following a decision by Free. This shutdown has been notified to customers for several weeks, and is in response to technical developments with the switch to fiber. The operator is offering an exchange for newer, faster boxes.

Two Freebox models are soon to be retired. For several weeks now, Free has been announcing to affected customers the upcoming remote shutdown of two Freebox models that will soon be considered obsolete. In both cases, the devices will soon cease to function completely, whether in terms of internet connectivity or access to the television service.

In one case, the remote shutdown is justified by a major technological development. Free subscribers now have the option of switching to a faster and more stable internet connection via fiber optics. A problem for one of these boxes that can only work via ADSL, a technology based on the old telephone network that should soon be completely abandoned.

Free is permanently unplugging two of its Freeboxes, here's if you are affected

In the other case, the problem seems more commercial – the ISP preferring to focus on boxes and subscription offers that are more successful with customers. So which models are we talking about, and above all, what should customers do affected by the planned obsolescence of their equipment?

These are two boxes, some of you will have undoubtedly guessed, the Freebox Crystal and the Freebox One. Two models that the ISP has been trying to push towards the exit for several years via promotional offers involving an exchange of equipment. From now on, the boxes concerned display a message indicating the total cessation of their operation after December 31, 2025.

The operator advises customers to contact Free at 3244 where the migration to a fiber offer will be offered to them. The installation of the socket, if it needs to be done, is free and covered by the ISP. Incidentally, the company does not intend to throw away the boxes affected by this planned shutdown. These will be recycled, including some materials revalued as underlays for synthetic football pitches.