Long familiar with the French digital landscape, two emblematic models of Internet boxes are preparing to bow out. Free confirmed the judgment of two Freeboxes, the Crystal and the One, which each marked in their own way an era now over. Between ADSL inheritance in the process of erecting and missing technological bet, their disappearance reflects a broader change in the industrial strategy of the operator.
Its inability to evolve towards fiber and its limited performance, with a maximum speed of 15 Mbit/s for download, have made it an increasingly marginal solution. According to Univers Freebox, Free had already undertaken in 2021 the compulsory replacement of certain crystal using a fiber converter, by exchanging them for free for a mini 4K.
From July 2024, an alert message began to appear automatically when the box is switched on, warning subscribers from the end of the imminent service. Press Citron specifies that Free intends to abandon this technology, the ADSL being doomed to disappear by 2030. Free provides a recycling program for returned equipment and reuses certain parts to manufacture sub-layers of synthetic land.
With the One, Free buries a model that has never found its audience
While the disappearance of the crystal was expected, that of the Freebox One surprised more. Compatible with fiber, designed as an all-in-one box combining Modem and TV decoder, it nevertheless had all the assets to seduce. However, the transplant has never taken. From its launch in 2018, the One departs from the modularity philosophy carried by the other free models.
Frandroid recalls that its integration into a single case was a problem in many households, which cannot always place their TV in the same place as the telephone socket. Marketed at 29.99 euros per month the first year and then at 39.99 euros, it was at the same price as the Freebox Pop, better equipped and more popular.
In an interview relayed by Univers Freebox in 2020, Xavier Niel recognized that this box did not meet the hoped -for success. From March 2025, the remaining subscribers were notified by email from the upcoming judgment of their offer. Their contract will end automatically in December if they do not migrate to another model.
The judgment of two Freebox reveals a wider industrial transition
Free is not content to turn the page for two obsolete equipment. The judgment of two Freebox is part of a movement to simplify its park and optimize its technical resources. The alternative offers offered include the Freebox Pop, Delta and Ultra, with full management of migration costs, including the installation of fiber.
The operator's objective is clear: to refocus its offer around more powerful models, compatible with the latest standards such as WiFi 7 or flow rates up to 5 Gbit/s. By removing maintenance and after-sales service from old models, Free reduces its costs while strengthening the consistency of its catalog.
Customers who have not chosen a new offer before the end of the year will see their subscription interrupted without intervention on their part. This rationalization goes hand in hand with the desire to maintain a high level of competitiveness in the face of actors like Bouygues Telecom or Orange, the last offers of which also rely on simplicity and performance.
