How AI Sees French Telecom: Great Offers, Painful Bills

AI assistants have a clear opinion of French telecom operators: the offers are great, the network is solid, and the bill is the problem. Price and fees get the lowest score of any part of the telecom experience, and they account for half of everything negative AI says about the industry.

When someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity which fiber plan to choose or whether a mobile plan is worth it, the answer goes beyond listing operators. It describes them, explains what to expect, and warns about what could go wrong.

Using VizibAI's Brand Management, we mapped how AI describes telecom operators across seven dimensions of the customer experience, from offers and network quality to price, installation and customer service. The result is a perception map of the whole industry, as AI tells it. Curious what your own map looks like? Get your free GEO audit.

Key takeaways

• Offers are AI's favorite topic, and it never criticizes them. They make up nearly a quarter of what AI says about operators, with 89% positive statements and no negative ones.

• Price is where the trouble is. It's the lowest-rated dimension, at 3.2 out of 5, and 37% of statements about it are negative. Price alone produces 51% of all criticism.

• The story AI tells is "good promo, then the price goes up." Introductory offers get praise. Higher prices after the first year and extra fees get the blame.

• Network and boxes are the industry's strongest assets. Both get 84% positive statements.

• Customer service and installation are where frustration builds. Customer service has the second-highest share of negative statements, at 18%. Installation is the dimension AI is most neutral about.

• AI sends price-conscious customers to second brands. When it compares operators, it often points to their low-cost subsidiaries: same network, lower price.

The telecom perception map

AI rates six of the seven dimensions at 3.8 out of 5 or higher. Price and fees are the clear weak spot, at 3.2.

The shape of the map is lopsided. On everything related to the product itself, such as offers, equipment and network, AI is close to enthusiastic. As soon as the conversation moves to the money and the hassle around it, the score drops.

1. Offers: AI's favorite topic, and it has nothing bad to say

Offers and plans are what AI talks about most, at 24% of all statements. They get the highest score on the map, 4.8 out of 5. Not a single statement about them is negative.

AI describes bundles as practical for connected households, highlights high upload speeds on premium fiber plans, and presents no-commitment mobile plans as a flexible option. It also describes signing up online as smooth.

For operators, this is good news with a catch. AI clearly understands what the offers contain. But praising an offer and recommending it are not the same thing, and the recommendation often depends on the price.

2. Price: where half of all criticism lands

Price and fees score 3.2 out of 5, the lowest on the map. More than a third of what AI says about them is negative, and they generate 51% of all the criticism AI directs at telecom operators.

The criticism follows a few recurring patterns:

• Promos that don't last. AI praises introductory offers, then warns that prices rise significantly after the first year.

• "The most expensive on the market." Some operators get labeled as pricier than competitors, with the premium justified only by network or equipment quality.

• Extra fees. AI points out activation fees for TV decoders or Wi-Fi repeaters, and notes when competitors include them for free.

This is the gap that matters most. AI loves the offer on paper, but when it talks about what the customer will actually pay over time, it becomes a cautious advisor.

3. Network and boxes: the industry's strongest assets

Network quality scores 4.4 out of 5 and equipment scores 4.6. Both get 84% positive statements, which makes them the foundation of how AI sees the industry.

AI praises fast 4G and 5G, reliable fiber and the latest generation of boxes, especially their ability to handle many devices at once. For a family juggling video calls and streaming, AI presents recent boxes as a real upgrade.

The criticism, when it comes, is specific rather than general. On network, AI mentions occasional outages and real speeds that fall well short of what's advertised. On equipment, it points to limited settings for advanced users and features that don't carry over to Wi-Fi repeaters.

4. Customer service and installation: the friction zone

Customer service scores 4.2 out of 5, but it has the second-highest share of negative statements, at 18%. When AI talks about service, it's mostly positive, but the complaints it repeats are sharp: support that's slow to respond, low review scores, and fewer physical stores.

Installation and eligibility score 3.8. Here, AI is more of a guide than a judge. 39% of its statements are neutral, the highest share on the map, because it mostly explains the process: check eligibility, book a technician, wait for the connection.

The negative statements focus on the moments where the process breaks down. AI mentions technician appointments that get postponed, connection delays in some areas, and extra connection costs of €100 to €400 for houses far from the street network.

5. Comparisons: AI sends customers to cheaper second brands

When AI compares operators directly, the score drops to 3.8 out of 5. This is the moment where AI stops describing and starts advising, and its advice often costs the flagship brands a customer.

The most common recommendation is simple. If you want to pay less, look at the operators' low-cost subsidiaries: same network, same coverage, much lower price. AI even suggests that customers paying around €20 a month at a historical operator check their discount brand first.

AI isn't against premium offers. It credits bundle discounts on box and mobile plans, and it acknowledges when a higher price comes with better equipment. But when the question is about value for money, AI makes the comparison for the customer, and the answer is rarely the most expensive option.

What this means for telecom marketers

Explain the full price, not just the promo. AI already warns customers about price increases after the first year. Clear pages that show the price over 12, 24 and 36 months, with every fee listed, let AI give an accurate answer instead of a warning.

Give AI a reason for the premium. If your price is higher, AI needs sources that link it to something concrete, such as network quality, equipment or service. Without that link, AI simply calls you expensive.

Fix the friction AI repeats. Postponed appointments, slow support and hidden connection costs come up again and again. Publishing clear information on installation timelines, costs and support options gives AI a more complete picture to work from.

Watch how AI positions your brands against each other. For groups with a low-cost subsidiary, AI is already deciding which customers belong to which brand. Make sure that split matches your own strategy.

Find out more

AI doesn't only judge prices and service. Sometimes it gets the facts wrong, from outdated offers to features a brand never had. Find out why it happens and how to fix it in our guide: Why is ChatGPT saying wrong things about my company?