SFR (Altice group) is France's second-largest ISP, operating @sfr.fr, @neuf.fr, @numericable.fr, and other legacy domains. Their filtering mirrors Orange — Spamhaus-based IP reputation, SpamAssassin content scoring, and DMARC policy enforcement.
SFR validates sending IPs against Spamhaus ZEN before accepting connections. SBL and XBL listings cause immediate 550 rejection. PBL listings from dynamic IP ranges also cause rejection. Always check IP status before sending.
SFR tracks bounce rates, complaint rates, and spam trap hits from SFR-hosted addresses. IPs crossing internal thresholds are added to the Altice internal blocklist. Removal requires direct contact with the SFR postmaster team.
@neuf.fr addresses are legacy accounts from Neuf Cegetel (acquired by SFR in 2008). A significant portion are abandoned. Some sub-domains exhibit catch-all-like SMTP behaviour for old addresses. BounceZero ML scoring handles these correctly by flagging low-confidence @neuf.fr addresses as Risky.
SFR uses content analysis similar to Orange: high image-to-text ratio, missing plain-text alternative, excessive commercial language, no physical address. SpamAssassin score above 5 is typically rejected.
SFR enforces DMARC policy at p=quarantine and p=reject. At p=reject, unauthenticated messages are refused at SMTP. Implement SPF + DKIM + DMARC together before any high-volume SFR campaign.
| SMTP Code | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 550 5.7.1 Blocked | IP or domain on SFR/Spamhaus blocklist | Check Spamhaus, contact [email protected] |
| 550 5.1.1 | Mailbox does not exist | Hard bounce — remove from all lists permanently |
| 421 4.7.0 | Temporary connection deferral | Rate limit or greylisting — MTA retries automatically |
| 452 4.2.2 | Mailbox over quota | Soft bounce — retry 2-3x over 48h then suppress |
| 550 refused | Policy or content rejection | Review content and sender authentication |
| 554 5.7.0 Rejected | Hard content or reputation rejection | Major content or IP issue — contact postmaster |
BounceZero probes @sfr.fr, @neuf.fr, @numericable.fr MX servers directly. @neuf.fr has high abandonment — verify the entire French segment, not just @sfr.fr alone.
No softfail. All sending IPs in SPF. All sending services (ESPs, automation platforms) included via include mechanisms.
Ensure DKIM domain matches From header domain for DMARC alignment. Rotate keys annually.
Set up rua= aggregate reporting. Monitor for failures before moving to p=quarantine. Target p=reject within 90 days.
Explicit opt-in required for French recipients under RGPD. Double opt-in eliminates the complaint-driven reputation damage from single opt-in French campaigns.
SFR does not offer a whitelist programme. If blocked at Altice internal level (clean Spamhaus but still rejected), contact [email protected] with sending evidence and list hygiene documentation.
SFR (Altice group) operates several legacy French email domains: @sfr.fr, @sfr.net, @neuf.fr, @neuf.net, @numericable.fr, @club-sfr.fr, and others inherited from mergers (Neuf Cegetel, Numericable). All are filtered by the same SFR/Altice infrastructure.
Common causes: sending IP on Spamhaus SBL or the SFR internal blocklist, SPF/DKIM auth failure, high bounce rate from SFR addresses (especially @neuf.fr which has many abandoned accounts), missing PTR record, content triggering spam filters, or French CNIL violations generating complaints.
Contact the SFR/Altice postmaster at [email protected]. Include: sending IPs, sending domain, SPF/DKIM/DMARC records, description of your list source and consent method, and proof of list cleaning. Response times: 3-10 business days. SFR does not offer a public whitelist programme.
Yes. BounceZero directly probes SFR mail servers for @sfr.fr, @neuf.fr, @numericable.fr, and other SFR-operated domains. @neuf.fr has high abandonment rates from the Neuf Cegetel merger era. Verification before French B2C campaigns removes invalids before they hard-bounce.
SFR and Orange use similar infrastructure (both Spamhaus-based with internal reputation systems). The main difference is that SFR does not operate a sender whitelist programme, so reputation improvement relies entirely on sending behaviour over time rather than any whitelist shortcut.
@neuf.fr and @sfr.fr both have high abandoned address rates. Verify first.
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