French consumer association UFC claims it has been continuously receiving complaints from consumers about Free Mobile’s 3G service since April 2012. UFC Pesident Alain Bazot said that consumers have reported problems with Free Mobile’s own 3G network and when roaming onto France Telecom’s Orange 3G network.

The UFC conducted nearly 2,500 tests of Free Mobile’s 3G network in Ile-de-France, Lille and Toulouse, and experienced poor performance when downloading videos in 70 per cent of cases. “The gap between the service promised and what was provided by Free Mobile amazed us,” Bazot told Les Echos newspaper, adding that it was “catastrophic for consumers”. Free Mobile is owned by French telecoms company Iliad.

FierceWirelessEurope: Free Mobile slammed for 'mediocre' 3G performance; TelecomTV content partner.