Free has launched its 5G Standalone (5G SA) network in France.

In doing so the operator, which is owned by Iliad Group, has become the first carrier in the country to launch the service.

In an announcement, Free said it's the first telco in the country to offer a 3.5 GHz 5G SA service on its public network at no extra cost than a standard 5G plan.

According to the telco, it has launched 5G SA on a national scale.

5G SA is not reliant on older mobile generations and solely uses a 5G core network, and is based on the cloud.

Free, which has more than 15 million mobile subscribers, launched 5G commercial services back in 2020.

The company noted that it currently has more than 20,000 5G sites in service across France, claiming to have the most of any operator, while 6,950 of these sites provide the 3.5 GHz band.

"5G SA is the final phase of the development of the 5G network, enabling faster speeds, lower latency, and higher reliability," said Free. "Its large-scale deployment will allow the full potential of 5G technology to be realized through the massive take-up of new services and 5G applications in many domains, ranging from industry, health, education, and entertainment through to smart cities."

As the 5G market has matured since the widespread launch of the service since 2019, many carriers have launched 5G SA services, which are often referred to as "true 5G."

Earlier this month in the UK, EE launched its 5G SA service, becoming the third UK carrier after Vodafone and Virgin Media O2.