End of SFR in France: heavily indebted and faced with a leak from subscribers, Altice envisages a major sale

On May 20, 2025, the situation of SFR Getting tos: the parent company Altice France is actively looking for a buyer, or at least a financial partner sufficiently solid to absorb a majority part of the company.

In a context of massive debts – estimated at more than 24 billion euros – Patrick Drahi relies on an transaction around 30 billion (debt included) to save his group. The plan is no longer at the rumor stadium: potential candidates have already received the first consultation documents.

Towards a partial or total sale of SFR

The cleaver is close to SFR. Altice France, strangled by an abysmal debt, has started an accelerated transfer process, targeting majority participation in its historic operator. Among the serious contenders, Bouygues Telecom, Free (Iliad) and even Orange examine the figures. More surprising: the operator Emirati Emirates Telecommunications Group (E &) would also have expressed great interest.

This sale context is accompanied by a change of assumed strategy: SFR plans to close more than 30 stores from July 2025. Objective displayed: switch to a 100 % online model. A brutal moult, which could confuse part of the customers accustomed to human contact, but which follows an implacable economic logic.

In just two years, SFR has seen more than 1.5 million mobile subscribers disappear, an erosion that weighs heavily on its financial health.

The consequences are clear: if the sale results, waves of migration of customers could take place according to the trade agreements passed with the buyers. For subscribers, the watchword is simple: vigilance. Stay informed and ready to change operator if necessary, by comparing the offers And the technologies available, will be crucial in the coming months.