Mobile Networks in France

France has four mobile networks: Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Free. Every other brand you can buy a SIM from either belongs to one of them or rents space on one, and SFR is about to be broken up.

Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom were the established three until Free Mobile arrived in 2012 with a €2 plan and dragged prices down across the country. Free built its own network and roams on Orange where it has not finished building. The rest sit on those networks:

• On Orange: Sosh, Orange's online-only brand.
• On SFR: RED by SFR, Prixtel and Lebara, plus La Poste Mobile until its move is done.
• On Bouygues Telecom: B&You, NRJ Mobile, Lycamobile, and La Poste Mobile as it moves across.

Sosh, RED and B&You are the same companies selling the identical network without stores. NRJ Mobile, Lycamobile, Lebara and Prixtel are MVNOs.

Brands that changed network

La Poste Mobile is moving from SFR to Bouygues Telecom. New lines have been on Bouygues since September 2025, automatic moves with no SIM change began in April 2026, and the move is due to finish by the end of 2027. A line on Bouygues uses mmsbouygtel.com. A line still on SFR uses sl2sfr.

Lebara left Orange for SFR in 2024. A guide that gives Lebara Orange's MMS settings is out of date, and there are no MMS settings to give: Lebara does not support MMS.

Prixtel used to let you choose Orange or SFR and now runs only on SFR. If your data dropped during a move, restart the phone and check that the APN is still set.

SFR is being split up

In June 2026 Orange, Bouygues Telecom and Free signed an agreement with Altice France to buy SFR and share its customers between them. It needs regulator approval and is expected to complete in the second half of 2027. Until then SFR, RED, Prixtel and Lebara keep working as they do today, so keep the APN you have.

Same masts, different APN

Orange uses one profile, orange, for data and MMS, with the MMSC http://mms.orange.fr. Free Mobile uses two: free for data and mmsfree for MMS. Bouygues Telecom uses mmsbouygtel.com for both, and NRJ Mobile now uses the same one instead of its old fnetnrj and mmsnrj. Lycamobile and Lebara keep their own data APNs, data.lycamobile.fr and fr.lebara.mobi.

MMS

Orange, Free, Bouygues Telecom, SFR and its brands publish MMS settings. Lebara does not support MMS on any plan, and Lycamobile's settings page lists no MMS profile. Where MMS fails with the right settings, use RCS or a messenger such as WhatsApp.

eSIM and switching

All four networks sell eSIM, and an eSIM line normally gets its settings during activation, so you rarely type the APN on one. To switch and keep your number, call 3179 from your current line to get your RIO code, then give it to the new operator. The move completes within a day and is free.

When data stops after a SIM swap, a reset or a new phone, check the APN first. Find your network above and copy its values exactly.