Bouygues Telecom shook up the fiber market in France by launching the B&You Pure Fiber offer in November 2023. While the triple-play subscription remains very popular, this subscription focuses solely on Internet access. For €23.99 per month, it offers nothing more than a high-performance connection with download speeds of up to 8 Gb/s and Wi-Fi 6E. Television and landline telephone are absent from this package, which is aimed particularly at young people who only need fiber.
This offer, which is one of the most attractive on the market, now has competition. Free has just unveiled the Freebox Pop S offer, which is priced at €24.99, and incorporates part of this "100% Internet" offer concept; well, almost. While television is conspicuous by its absence, Free retains the landline telephone to make it a formidable dual-play offer. Who offers the best deal between Free and Bouygues? What do Orange and SFR offer? Le Journal du Geek compared the four currently available offers from the major operators.
Freebox Pop S vs B&You Pure Fibre vs Boîte Sosh vs RED Box: the table to understand everything at a glance
It should be noted from the outset that this comparison focuses on affordable offers around 25 euros per month (between 23.99 and 25.99 euros per month), whose price does not change after 6 or 12 months. This led us to not include offers like the Just Livebox Fibre Special Series (19.99 euros/month for six months, then 33.99 euros/month), the Bbox Fit (28.99 euros/month for one year, then 35.99 euros/month) or Freebox Pop (29.99 euros/month for one year then 39.99 euros/month). These subscriptions may be of interest, but they do not correspond to our criteria and the four major operators have understood this by offering 100% Internet packages.
In addition to the Freebox Pop S and B&You Pure Fibre, we have added the offers from Sosh (Orange) and RED (SFR) to our comparison. They are very similar and older than the new products from Free and Bouygues, which translates into the presence of television as a paid option, older routers and more limited speeds (up to 1 Gb/s).
Here is a summary table of the main characteristics of the Freebox Pop S (Free), B&You Pure Fibre (Bouygues), Boîtes Sosh (Orange) and RED box (SFR) offers:
| Offer | B&You Pure Fiber | Freebox Pop S | Sosh box | RED box Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | €23.99 | €24.99 | €25.99 | €23.99 |
| Download speed | 8 Gb/s | 5 Gb/s shared | 1 Gb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| Upload speed | 1 Gb/s | 900 Mb/s | 900 Mb/s | 1 Gb/s |
| Wi-Fi technology | Wi-Fi 6E | Wi-Fi 7 | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Wi-Fi repeater | 4€/month optional | Free on request | / | / |
| Landline included | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TV included | No | No | 5€/month optional | 3€/month optional |
| Discount on mobile | / | / | / | |
| Commitment | No commitment | No commitment | No commitment | No commitment |
| Activation fee | 48 euros | 49 euros | / | 39 euros (currently offered) |
| Termination fees | 59 euros (soon 69 euros) | 59 euros | 50 euros | 59 euros |
On paper, Free and Bouygues have the clear advantage and offer the most attractive deals. They are in direct competition, however, with some important subtleties that can make the difference. Bouygues Telecom is the only one to offer a 100% Internet package, i.e. without television, without landline telephone and even without ADSL option if you are not eligible for fiber. The Freebox Pop S offers lower speeds, but it has the advantage of retaining landline telephony and an ADSL option for those who have forgotten about fiber.
Which offer should you choose?
B&You Pure Fiber if you only want a high-performance Internet connection
The B&You Pure Fiber offer may be the most affordable in our comparison (23.99 euros), but it offers the best download and upload speeds. Bouygues outperforms its competitor Free in downloading (8 Gb/s versus 5 Gb/s) or uploading (1 Gb/s versus 900 Mb/s), and is clearly ahead of Sosh or SFR. Even if it does not include Wi-Fi 7 in its offer, the operator offers Wi-Fi on the 6 GHz band and this Wi-Fi 6E allows for boosted speeds. Note that Bouygues Telecom uses a third Wi-Fi frequency band (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz) while Free uses "dual-band" Wi-Fi 7 (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz).
The final element for the tightest budgets is the saving of 1 euro/month that can be made on the subscription. If connection speed is your priority, the B&You Pure Fibre offer may be a must, provided you are eligible for XGS-PON. The operator specifies that if the home is not eligible, the subscriber will have to be content with a theoretical speed of up to 2 Gb/s for downloading and 900 Mb/s for uploading. Also remember that the Wi-Fi 6 repeater is available as an option for 4 euros/month.
Freebox Pop S if you are a family, or a cheap and more comprehensive offer
Even though it's newer than Bouygues Telecom's offering, the Freebox Pop S doesn't perform as well as its rival in some respects. However, it seems more comprehensive to us, with consistently high speeds (5 Gb/s shared), latest-generation Wi-Fi, and discounts on mobile plans. In addition, it also retains landline phone service.
For one euro more per month, Free's offer offers additional services that can make a difference. It's also better suited to the needs of a family thanks to the Wi-Fi 7 repeater offered for large houses or apartments, as well as the Free Family benefits (up to 4 Free 5G unlimited internet plans in 5G/4G at 9.99 euros/month for one year, then 15.99 euros/month, instead of 19.99 euros/month). For a "geek" audience, the Freebox Pop S also has a NAS function for downloading, managing, and sharing files remotely.
Finally, this offer benefits from Free Proxi support 7 days a week with no time limit.
Sosh and RED boxes? If you have no choice
It's difficult to advise you to opt for the Sosh or RED offers, unless you need the television option or you are on ADSL. These two plans have greatly lost competitiveness following the announcements of Free and Bouygues, offering aging technologies, such as Wi-Fi 5 and more limited speeds (1 Gb/s maximum). Note that such a speed remains sufficient for most uses, but it will be less comfortable in the case of intensive use by several users in the home.
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