RATP and Arcep join forces to improve connectivity for travellers

Paris, 13 July 2016:On Wednesday 13 July at the Maison de la RATP, Elisabeth BORNE, CEO of public transport company for the Paris region, RATP, and Arcep Chair, Sébastien SORIANO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which they committed to join forces to ensure high quality connectivity across the entire RATP underground network, including on-board trains.

RATP has always worked to provide its customers with the same connectivity services in the Paris metro and RER underground networks as they enjoy on ground level. In tandem with the four national mobile operators, RATP has committed to a 3G/4G coverage programme, building on existing 2G mobile services.

In early 2016, ARCEP established a strategic roadmap whose priorities include developing mobile connectivity across the whole of France, and providing users with the information they need to compare products and incentivise operators to increase their investments.

Initially planned for 2015, providing 3G/4G connectivity throughout the RATP network has been delayed by the complexity of the technological and economic challenges involved, notably the metro’s restrictive environment and the very heavy flow of travellers. Today, Line 1 of the metro and Lines A and B of the RER network are largely covered. The target now is to bring 3G/4G coverage to the entire network by the end of 2017.

The MoU signed today will enable RATP to benefit from Arcep’s methodological expertise in carrying out campaigns for measuring the coverage and quality of available services. These testing campaigns began two years ago and, under the current circumstances, are vital to obtaining an accurate and regularly updated view of the quality of the services provide by each mobile operator.

Arcep will begin publishing the results of these campaigns in 2017. They will build on and complete the findings of the first tests that Arcep conducted on the quality of mobile services in the Paris metro, which were made public on 12 July 2016.

Results of the tests performed on the 14 Paris metro lines, on the percentage of calls maintained for 2 minutes, and SMS received in under 10 seconds.