Are you one of the 9% of French people who don't have an internet box subscription and use their mobile plans exclusively to access the web? This is the case for Sarah, Jérôme, Gabriel, and Rosine*. For several months, they have been using connection sharing exclusively to check their social networks, their emails, or to watch series or films.
Did they make this choice for purely economic reasons? Is it a temporary decision or, on the contrary, one made to last? Sarah, who lives in a shared apartment in downtown Grenoble, says she had a Freebox for a long time. But in the 2020s, the forty-year-old decided to retrain, undergoing several years of training. During this transition, "I eliminated all unnecessary bills," including those for my internet box, she tells us.
"I wanted to test connection sharing before canceling my internet subscription."
"I discovered abroad that connection sharing worked very well. When I went back to work last year, I wondered if I was going to get a box again. But even by watching Netflix every night, being on Deezer a lot, and using the internet from time to time, I never exceeded my "unlimited" mobile plan," she tells us. The Grenoble resident has 350 GB (with Free). She doesn't plan to switch back to an internet box for the moment.
For Jérôme, 29, who lives in a village in Aveyron, about thirty minutes from Rodez, the decision to stop the internet box was preceded by a testing period. "I had heard about connection sharing, and I wanted to test it before canceling my internet subscription," he explains.
For two months, the almost thirty-year-old self-employed person kept his internet box (Red by SFR), but used connection sharing exclusively. He teleworks from home – he gives training courses and does a lot of video calls – and spends several evenings a week on "Netflix and Amazon Prime," or even on the SFR TV app. The testing period also includes two weeks of vacation, during which connection sharing is used several hours a day, he explains. But in the end, surprise: not only did everything always work well. But he didn't use all of his gigabyte quota (250 GB).
"It's a bit like being covered by two insurances for the same thing"
For the latter, who considers himself to have a decent salary, this decision was mainly made in a sense of "optimizing personal finances." "Sometimes, we pay for things we really don't need. It's a bit like being covered by two insurances for the same thing. And then, why would I pay for an internet subscription when connection sharing works well? I had two plans (box and mobile, editor's note) that covered the same service (internet access, editor's note), so I might as well delete one of them." As a result, "that's 22 euros less to pay per month," he explains - or nearly 264 euros over 12 months, the annual price of his internet subscription.
It must be said that on the one hand, network coverage has improved throughout the country, including far from major cities. On the other hand, mobile plans, with hundreds of gigas, have become more than accessible, with offers at less than 20 euros, or even 10 euros per month, for 100, 200, 300 gigas - much less than the price of an internet box, which can range from around twenty euros to fifty, or even more with options. The French market has become "ultra-competitive, with very generous offers at very low prices," confirms SFR, which we contacted.
The time when connection sharing didn't always work, due to smartphones, network coverage, or plan limits, is long gone. Add to that the fact that the internet box, which previously paired with a TV server, is no longer the only way to access TV channels or video-on-demand platforms. Legal IPTV has also grown, accessible directly via an app, platform, or website, outside the scope of the traditional internet box.
For Gabriel, 28, the termination of his fixed internet subscription was made in the context of a move. The salesman, who is building a house that he will soon move into, has switched exclusively to connection sharing mode since leaving his last home, an initially temporary choice that could ultimately last.
Since he no longer has an internet box, the man who lives in Rodez (Aveyron) has switched to a 100 GB to 200 GB mobile plan with Orange – a figure he has never reached, although he often watches series on platforms (Netflix, Amazon, etc.). He also "finds it ridiculous to pay astronomical sums for two things when you can have it in one. Beyond the financial aspect, I'm not going to pay just to please someone, I prefer to put it aside or invest that money, rather than putting it into a subscription," he assures.
Will he get a box again soon? It's not planned. "The only question I have about the box is that everything is centralized in the house. Whereas for connection sharing, you always have to put it back on via your phone, once you get home," he says. There are also sometimes a few bugs, which require you to restart a video, he admits. But these inconveniences will not push him to pay for an internet subscription for a box again, he adds.
Rosine has lived without an internet box for years. "Actually, I don't even know what a box is for," confides the woman who has been living with her cousin in Grenoble for several weeks. The thirty-year-old, a caregiver, has long used connection sharing to access the web: "It's practical, there's nothing to install, it's economical." The formula is more than enough for the fan of series and films watched in replay on platforms - she has a 100 GB plan with Orange. The only downside: "when I'm on vacation in Brittany, at my parents' house: the walls of their house act as bunkers in certain rooms, and it's impossible for me to receive anything."
It's worth noting that none of the people interviewed play online. All have a fairly recent phone that was able to fulfill its role as an internet modem without difficulty - no overheating or excessive battery consumption was noted. All of them also lived in places that were well covered by operators, information that can be found on the Arcep website. Finally, all of them used apps, platforms, or websites to watch videos on demand or TV channels.
A trend limited to young people or single households?
Do these few testimonies demonstrate an underlying trend? At Orange, it is confirmed that there is indeed a "abandonment of fixed broadband access (high-speed internet) in favor of use via mobile only." But "this trend is mainly driven by young people, single households, with generous data plans." For the historic operator, doing without an internet box corresponds "more to a moment in life: as soon as you become a couple (duo household), the rate of broadband equipment returns to normal."
At SFR, we note that "there is (very) demand for this type of data package" - mobile plans with 100, 200, or even 300 Gigas. The company with the red square notes "a slight change in consumption habits between 2022 and 2024, towards a preference for all-mobile, which will need to be confirmed over time."
Nearly 93% of SFR customers are still equipped with a box, but this figure has decreased by almost 2 points, adds the telecom operator. This decline is "more pronounced among 18-34 year-olds, among whom we also observe a higher proportion of all-mobile devices." When contacted, Bouygues Telecom declined to respond to our questions. Free had not responded to our request for comment at the time of publication of this article.
The gradual abandonment of the internet box is also reflected in Arcep's annual study, which takes stock of our internet usage. The telecoms regulator observed last March that (exclusive) connection sharing now affects nearly one in ten French people. And the trend is "more significant among younger people, since it affects 19% of 18-24 year-olds (+2 points compared to 2023, and +9 points compared to 2020) and 15% of 25-39 year-olds (+7 points compared to 2020)," according to the 2025 Digital Barometer. However, this annual study surveyed the French in July and August 2024. Nine months have passed since then. And the observed trend may have accelerated.
*Editor's note: First names have been changed at the request of those interviewed.
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