Arcep said that the move was implemented to satisfy demand from manufacturers and stakeholders wanting to assess their local mobile network projects for business use cases across the entire 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 full 3.8–4.2 GHz band to accommodate more enterprise use cases.
Strong demand from verticals – Since 2022, 175 trial licenses have been issued across sectors like manufacturing, health, logistics and smart cities, with 90 trials still active as of June 2025.
Toward long-term licensing – Arcep is working on a long-term regulatory framework for local mobile networks in the 3.8–4.2 GHz band, with public consultation already completed and under review.
French telecom services regulator Arcep has extended the window for 5G trials in the 3.8–4.0 GHz band to the 4.0–4.2 GHz band.
In a release, Arcep said that the move was implemented to satisfy demand from manufacturers and stakeholders wanting to assess their local mobile network projects for business use cases across the entire 3.8–4.2 GHz band.
In March 2022, the regulator initially opened a trial window in 3.8–4.0 GHz band for manufacturers and businesses wanting to trial new 5G use cases. The regulator noted that the goal was to satisfy the mobile connectivity needs of verticals such as manufacturing, logistics, energy, health and smart cities that may want to use private 4G/5G networks to deliver new services or improve their operational performance.
Arcep said it has issued a total of 175 frequency licenses since 2022, as part of its window for trials in the 3.8–4.0 GHz band. The regulator also said that 90 of these trials were still ongoing at the end of June 2025.
“Arcep has a positive assessment of this window, and notes the diversity of the stakeholders involved, covering a wide range of economic sectors and this in multiple regions across metropolitan France,” the regulator said.
Following requests from businesses wanting to trial private mobile network projects and thereby evaluate 5G use cases in the 4.0–4.2 GHz band, Arcep is now expanding its trial window to the entire 3.8–4.2 GHz band. At the same time, Arcep continues to work on establishing a regulatory framework with a view to opening a long-term assignment window for 3.8–4.2 GHz band frequencies,” the regulator added.
In June 2025, Arcep confirmed plans to establish a local assignment framework for the 3.8–4.2 GHz band for the deployment of local mobile networks for business purposes and, to this end, launched a public consultation on a draft procedure for assigning 3.8– 4.2 GHz band frequencies in metropolitan France, along with a draft decision setting forth the technical conditions governing use of that frequencies.
Arcep said it is currently in the process of analyzing the responses it received to this consultation.
In July 2024, the watchdog had launched an initial public consultation whose purpose was to gather stakeholders’ feedback on the principles governing the assignment of the 3.8-4.2 GHz band for the deployment of local private mobile networks. Based on the responses to this public consultation, Arcep has confirmed its plan to implement a framework for assigning the 3.8-4.2 GHz band for the deployment of local mobile networks for commercial purposes.
Earlier this year, Arcep announced an extension of its 5G trial window for professional applications in the 3.8–4.0 GHz frequency band, now set to remain open until December 31, 2025. It said the decision comes in response to sustained interest from stakeholders in testing 5G use cases within this spectrum band.
Mobile operator Orange has three trial licenses in total, in Charbonnières-les-Bains, Balma and Paris for testing standalone 5G (SA) edge and slicing mechanisms with developers for, respectively, enterprise use cases, connected and autonomous vehicles, and video capture for “major events”. Rival operator Bouygues Telecom has one license, in Meudon et Boulogne-Billancourt, to test connected industries solutions.
Meanwhile, NTT is testing its private 5G solution for enterprises in Parisot, in southern France. As well, Schneider Electric has a license in Grenoble for factory operations, Alsatis has one in Toulouse for the European transport sector, French research organization CEA has one in Palaiseau for to develop AR/VR for Industry 4.0, and EDF has one in Palaiseau for testing AR in the energy sector.
Other companies carrying out trials include Thales, Ericsson, Qualcomm, ArcelorMittal France, Nokia, Haventure, Airbus, Axians, SNCF, ILS Technologies, Capgemini and IHU Strasbourg.
