What are the recommended connection and message rate limits for wanadoo.fr and orange.fr to avoid throttling?

Key findings

• Connection limits: Many senders find success by limiting concurrent connections to Orange.fr and Wanadoo.fr to 1 or 2 per outbound IP address.
• Message rates: Implementing a message rate limit, such as 100 messages per connection or an overall hourly limit (e.g., 90,000 messages per 3600 seconds), can significantly reduce throttling occurrences.
• Error codes: Receiving OFR004_104 'too many connections' errors, even when limiting to 3 connections, indicates the need for careful monitoring and potential adjustment of your sending system.
• Adaptive strategies: Static limits may not always be sufficient, as ISPs like Orange.fr often use dynamic throttling based on real-time sender reputation and traffic patterns. This suggests the importance of understanding how to handle email sending rate limits.

Key considerations

• System accuracy: Verify that your email sending system's connection limiting settings are being accurately applied and are not inadvertently attempting more connections than intended.
• MX vs. IP throttling: While some senders implement throttling per outbound IP, throttling by Mail Exchanger (MX) record can offer more granular control and may align better with ISP expectations. Consider best practices for setting email domain connection limits.
• Monitoring impact: Even if 'too many connections' replies don't immediately cause throttling, consistently hitting these limits can negatively affect your sender reputation over time.
• Complaint rates: Keep complaint rates low (below 1% as suggested by some guidelines for Orange.fr's email delivery guidelines) as this is a primary factor influencing an ISP's decision to throttle or block your mail.

Key opinions

• Conservative connection counts: Many marketers advocate for very low concurrent connection limits to Orange.fr and Wanadoo.fr, with 1 or 2 connections per outbound IP being a common successful strategy.
• Rate limiting messages: Limiting the number of messages sent per connection, such as 100 messages, alongside overall hourly limits, is a widely adopted tactic to prevent throttling.
• Throttling indicators: Marketers note that while OFR004_104 errors (too many connections) occur, they don't always directly lead to severe throttling, but are important signals to monitor.
• Iterative improvements: Optimizing deliverability to these specific ISPs is often an iterative process, requiring adjustments and monitoring to find the right balance of limits for each sender's specific traffic patterns. This is part of how to prevent email throttling and delays.

Key considerations

• Testing rate limits: Experimenting with different message rates per duration, such as 90,000 emails per hour, can provide valuable insights into what works best for specific sending volumes.
• Consistency matters: Maintaining consistent sending patterns within established limits, rather than burst sending, is generally favored by Orange.fr and Wanadoo.fr to prevent sudden throttling.
• Monitoring bounce codes: Pay close attention to specific bounce codes (e.g., OFR_999 or OFR004_104) as they provide clues about the nature of the throttling or delivery issue. If your emails are throttled by Orange.fr, analyzing these codes is key.
• Reputation alignment: Ultimately, even with careful rate limiting, a strong sender reputation built on low complaint rates and high engagement is paramount for consistent inbox placement.

Key opinions

• Reputation is paramount: Experts agree that sender reputation, including complaint rates and engagement, is more critical than mere connection limits in avoiding throttling from French ISPs.
• Adaptive algorithms: Mailbox providers frequently employ complex algorithms that adapt throttling based on real-time traffic and sender trustworthiness, making static limits less effective on their own.
• Impact of errors: Consistent errors like 'too many connections' can negatively affect domain reputation over time, leading to more aggressive throttling or outright rejections. Learn how to resolve OFR_999 errors for more.
• Gradual ramp-up: New IPs or domains sending to Orange/Wanadoo should undergo a careful warm-up process to build a positive sending history and avoid immediate throttling.

Key considerations

• Authentication standards: Ensuring proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication is fundamental, as failures can directly lead to mail being throttled or rejected by Orange.fr and Wanadoo.fr.
• Engagement monitoring: Closely monitoring subscriber engagement (opens, clicks) and managing inactive subscribers is crucial for maintaining a good sender reputation. This is part of understanding your email domain reputation.
• Feedback loops: Utilize any available feedback loops or postmaster tools provided by Orange.fr to receive direct insights into your sending performance and complaint rates.
• Content relevance: The relevance and quality of email content play a significant role. Generic or spam-like content will trigger filters and lead to throttling, regardless of technical limits.

Key findings

• Complaint rate threshold: Documentation often points to complaint rates as a primary factor for deliverability. For example, Orange.fr's guidelines suggest keeping this below 1%.
• Absence of hard limits: Some documentation, like that from University of Email for Orange.fr, indicates no explicit connection limits for 'validity', implying a focus on quality over strict numerical caps.
• Dynamic adjustments: ISPs dynamically adjust their acceptance rates based on real-time sender reputation metrics and the overall health of the mail stream, even if common connection and message limits are observed.
• Protocol adherence: Documentation consistently stresses adherence to email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) as a fundamental requirement for reliable delivery and avoiding throttling.

Key considerations

• Bounce code interpretation: Understanding ISP-specific bounce codes (e.g., OFR_999 or OFR004_104) is critical, as these provide the most direct feedback on why emails are being delayed or rejected. This can help troubleshoot why email delivery to Orange and Wanadoo is slow.
• Content quality: Documentation often implies that content quality plays a role, with suspicious or unwanted content leading to a reduction in accepted message rates.
• Subscriber engagement: Maintaining an engaged subscriber base and promptly removing unengaged recipients contributes positively to sender reputation, allowing for higher effective sending rates.
• List hygiene: ISPs expect senders to maintain clean mailing lists, minimizing bounces and spam trap hits, which directly influences their trust in the sender and impacts throttling.