In Corsica, the coverage of the mobile network is still very unequal.If 5G unfolds more and more in the cities of the island, many residents continue to live without or with a very bad mobile network.

The phone in hand to look for the network, it is the daily life of the inhabitants of Talasani.This town of 72 residents in winter and 250 in summer continues to live to the rhythm of the fluctuations of the mobile network.""We spend our time walking in the village to be able to send an SMS or make a call.At times, it can have network at the cemetery but otherwise you have to go down the plain.""Exclaims Martine Bayout, resident in Talasani.Since this morning, she has been looking to reach her mother old enough to get news.But impossible!

All corners of the village with the slightest signal are known to all.To indicate the best location, the inhabitants even exhibited an old landline phone with a chair.One of the only places where the network passes but it depends on the days.Faced with this, Mr. and Mrs. Rougier had to opt for an internet box and telephone subscription including unlimited calls to fixed and mobile.

A significant cost which is added to their mobile plan: ""Today, we pay 45 euros per month for the box and the fixed phone.But we had to change because I have already missed important calls on my laptop like the day my son was sick.I only learned it in the evening by going to pick it up in college.""confides Franck Rougier.Today, this lack of coverage of the mobile network has become a real headache for the whole town.

The New Deal Mobile, a project in progress but a little slowed down

In 2018, the government concluded an agreement with telephone operators to ensure a good mobile network in poor or not covered areas.As part of this ""New Deal Mobile"" operation, the Corsican community in collaboration with the island mayors identified 69 sites concerned.

If since its launch 15 sites on the island have been equipped with 4G coverage, the rest remains pending, helpless in the face of the deployment of the 5G network in island cities.But today, the community wants to make a boost: ""Priority is good 4G coverage for the whole island.For 5G, we will see later with operators according to user needs.""says Éric Ferrari, Director of Digital Development and Transformation of the Corsican Community.

The village of Talasani was one of the first targeted thanks in particular to its mayor Francis Marcantei.Elected in 2020, the manager of the commune quickly resumed the file in hand and managed to install an antenna in his town last December.""It's a long fight.Before being able to install the relay, I contacted the operators of tens of times and I always had the same answer: ""Yes, no worries we will send you a technician to assess the network"" We had to wait for his arrivalmonths.""

But for the time being, this is another problem that blocks its operation: the 36 -meter -high antenna is still waiting to be electrified.

La Corse, une région difficilement ""équipable""

Corsica is today one of the regions with the most territorial disparities in mobile network.

En raison de ses reliefs et de ses réserves naturelles, l’île peut difficilement être équipée d’antennes relais : ""Nous faisons face à beaucoup de zones protégées en Corse donc pour nous il est très difficile d’y implanter nos pylônes.For example, the Restonica region is considered a white area but we cannot restore good network coverage because it is a classified site.It's been months or even almost for years that we have been waiting for the ministerial decree allowing us to set up.""explains Corinne Olive, head of free mobile deployment in Corsica and PACA.

Since 2018, seven meetings have been held between operators, the Corsican community, local elected officials and the prefecture to discuss the deployment of this mobile network which has become essential for the life of islanders.