Arcep mentioned that the transfer was applied to fulfill demand from producers and stakeholders eager to assess their native cell community tasks for enterprise use circumstances throughout your complete 3.8–4.2 GHz band
In sum – what to know:
Expanded 5G trial band – Arcep has broadened the 5G trial window from 3.8–4.0 GHz to the total 3.8–4.2 GHz band to accommodate extra enterprise use circumstances.
Sturdy demand from verticals – Since 2022, 175 trial licenses have been issued throughout sectors like manufacturing, well being, logistics and sensible cities, with 90 trials nonetheless lively as of June 2025.
Towards long-term licensing – Arcep is engaged on a long-term regulatory framework for native cell networks within the 3.8–4.2 GHz band, with public session already accomplished and beneath evaluate.
French telecom companies regulator Arcep has prolonged the window for 5G trials within the 3.8–4.0 GHz band to the 4.0–4.2 GHz band.
In a launch, Arcep mentioned that the transfer was applied to fulfill demand from producers and stakeholders eager to assess their native cell community tasks for enterprise use circumstances throughout your complete 3.8–4.2 GHz band.
In March 2022, the regulator initially opened a trial window in 3.8–4.0 GHz band for producers and companies eager to trial new 5G use circumstances. The regulator famous that the aim was to fulfill the cell connectivity wants of verticals akin to manufacturing, logistics, vitality, well being and sensible cities which will need to use non-public 4G/5G networks to ship new companies or enhance their operational efficiency.
Arcep mentioned it has issued a complete of 175 frequency licenses since 2022, as a part of its window for trials within the 3.8–4.0 GHz band. The regulator additionally mentioned that 90 of those trials had been nonetheless ongoing on the finish of June 2025.
“Arcep has a constructive evaluation of this window, and notes the range of the stakeholders concerned, protecting a variety of financial sectors and this in a number of areas throughout metropolitan France,” the regulator mentioned.
Following requests from companies eager to trial non-public cell community tasks and thereby consider 5G use circumstances within the 4.0–4.2 GHz band, Arcep is now increasing its trial window to your complete 3.8–4.2 GHz band. On the identical time, Arcep continues to work on establishing a regulatory framework with a view to opening a long-term task window for 3.8–4.2 GHz band frequencies,” the regulator added.
In June 2025, Arcep confirmed plans to determine a neighborhood task framework for the three.8–4.2 GHz band for the deployment of native cell networks for enterprise functions and, to this finish, launched a public session on a draft process for assigning 3.8– 4.2 GHz band frequencies in metropolitan France, together with a draft resolution setting forth the technical situations governing use of that frequencies.
Arcep mentioned it’s at the moment within the technique of analyzing the responses it acquired to this session.
In July 2024, the watchdog had launched an preliminary public session whose objective was to collect stakeholders’ suggestions on the rules governing the task of the three.8-4.2 GHz band for the deployment of native non-public cell networks. Primarily based on the responses to this public session, Arcep has confirmed its plan to implement a framework for assigning the three.8-4.2 GHz band for the deployment of native cell networks for business functions.
Earlier this yr, Arcep introduced an extension of its 5G trial window for skilled purposes within the 3.8–4.0 GHz frequency band, now set to stay open till December 31, 2025. It mentioned the choice is available in response to sustained curiosity from stakeholders in testing 5G use circumstances inside this spectrum band.
Cell operator Orange has three trial licenses in complete, in Charbonnières-les-Bains, Balma and Paris for testing standalone 5G (SA) edge and slicing mechanisms with builders for, respectively, enterprise use circumstances, related and autonomous autos, and video seize for “main occasions”. Rival operator Bouygues Telecom has one license, in Meudon et Boulogne-Billancourt, to check related industries options.
In the meantime, NTT is testing its non-public 5G resolution for enterprises in Parisot, in southern France. As properly, Schneider Electrical has a license in Grenoble for manufacturing unit operations, Alsatis has one in Toulouse for the European transport sector, French analysis group CEA has one in Palaiseau for to develop AR/VR for Business 4.0, and EDF has one in Palaiseau for testing AR within the vitality sector.
Different corporations finishing up trials embody Thales, Ericsson, Qualcomm, ArcelorMittal France, Nokia, Haventure, Airbus, Axians, SNCF, ILS Applied sciences, Capgemini and IHU Strasbourg.
