Is Parisian Mobile Coverage Ready for the Gold? | Ookla® (2024)

All eyes are on Paris this month for the 2024 Olympic Games. Hundreds of thousands of people will converge to watch the events or compete, and every single one will want to share their experience with friends, loved ones, and the internet at large. Which can only happen if they can find mobile coverage. So we analyzed Speedtest® data from Q2 2024 to help you find the best connection near the various Olympic venues in Paris.

Paris is 5G-ready overall

Our analysis of Speedtest data across Paris shows that 5G is available in almost every corner of the city. Coverage is not quite as complete in or near the cemeteries of Montparnasse or Pere Lachaise or in the parks of Bois de Boulogne or Bois de Vincennes, but for the most part you’ll have a hard time finding an area where you cannot connect at all. 5G offers better performance for mobile customers than 4G LTE, providing higher speeds and lower latency. To learn more about 5G, visit our 5G FAQ.

Each of the sections below will give you a good idea of what cellular connection type is most common in the area. For a view of the most common connection types for each mobile carrier, download the Speedtest app for Android or iOS and check the map tab. Pull up the drawer to select a carrier and whether you want to see the best connection type available or the most common. Remember that if you’re roaming, you may not get the performance you’re used to at home.

4th Arrondissem*nt: Hôtel de Ville

The Olympic marathon begins at Paris’s iconic city hall. You should be in luck for 5G coverage both at the start of the race and anywhere you wander along Rue de Rivoli and into the Arsenal section of the Marais. In northern parts of the Marais, 4G is more common, though you may still be able to connect to 5G.

7th Arrondissem*nt: Eiffel Tower Stadium, Champ de Mars Arena, Invalides

You’ll probably visit the Eiffel Tower and nearby Champ de Mars, even if you aren’t a fan of beach volleyball, judo, or wrestling. The good news is that 5G is the most common mobile technology near both those venues. The bad news is that there are a few small areas running up the middle of the 7th arrondissem*nt where you’ll be on 3G or you could have no service at all. If this happens, keep walking east because you’ll pass through those areas quickly and find 5G again close to Les Invalides and leading up to Pont Alexandre III.

8th Arrondissem*nt: Grand Palais, La Concorde, Pont Alexandre III

The 8th arrondissem*nt is home to venues featuring some of the newest Olympic sports, including breakdancing and skateboarding; it’s also teeming with 5G coverage and shows no dead zones. So whether you’re into fencing, taekwondo, cycling, or swimming, you’ll have access to 5G near all the major venues in this district.

12th Arrondissem*nt: Bercy Arena

Sharing all the gymnastics highlights should be easy at Bercy Arena in the 12th arrondissem*nt with 5G solidly covering the southwest side of the venue up and down the Seine on Quai de Bercy. LTE is more common along the northeast side of the venue and deeper into the middle of the district. There are a few anomalous spots of 3G or no service dotted throughout the 12th arr., including near the Musée des Arts Forains, Place de la Nation, and in the Bois de Vincennes.

15th Arrondissem*nt: South Paris Arenas

5G is most commonly found along the southwest edge of the 15th arrondissem*nt, including near the South Paris Arena. If you’re walking south from the Eiffel Tower and the 7th arrondissem*nt for the handball, table tennis, volleyball, or weightlifting events at South Paris Arenas, you’ll likely be bumping back and forth between 4G and 5G. There are also a few small areas of 3G or no service scattered throughout the district, so if you’re having trouble connecting, walk a few hundred meters and try again because you’ll be back on LTE.

16th Arrondissem*nt: Trocadéro, Parc des Princes, Stade Roland-Garros

If you’re watching football, cycling, boxing, or tennis at any of the three Olympic venues in the 16th arrondissem*nt, you’ll likely have 5G. However, you may quickly find yourself on 4G LTE if you’re wandering the district at large. As we saw in other districts, the edge of the Seine is a reliable place to find 5G should you need a faster connection.

18th Arrondissem*nt: Porte de la Chapelle Arena

Fans of badminton and rhythmic gymnastics will find the area around Porte de la Chapelle Arena in the 18th arrondissem*nt to be well covered with 5G. In general, the northern part of this district has more 5G coverage, but there are a few areas of 3G or no service scattered throughout the southern half of the 18th arr.

To see what mobile coverage you can expect at Olympic venues outside of Paris or for a personalized view of mobile coverage by operator, download the free Speedtest app for Android or iOS and check the map tab. Be aware that massive crowds can weigh heavily on a network, so if you are having trouble connecting, check Downdetector® to see if there’s an outage or if a particular service is down.

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