Chief Executive Maxime Lombardini has stated that French Internet Company Iliad SA is seeking alternative options for 3G mobile roaming, if it fails to reach a data roaming agreement with a competitor.

The Paris-based company sells broadband, Internet, telephony and TV services in France and is preparing to launch mobile services in 2012 after it was awarded France’s fourth 3G mobile license earlier this year. But a 3G roaming deal with a rival is essential to achieve this, as the company’s own network won’t cover the whole country by 2012.

According to Lombardini, they have had no proposal from the three operators so far. If an agreement isn’t forthcoming then Iliad has two alternative options but for the time being they still hope they will see sense. The company could either lodge an anti-trust complaint with France’s competition commission or approach the telecoms regulator ARCEP.

Bigger telecoms rivals France Telecom, Vivendi’s SFR, and Bouygues SA’s Bouygues Telecom have so far been reluctant to negotiate a deal with Iliad.

Lombardini argued that a 3G roaming contract with Iliad would be a big contract with a big margin for competitors and a good way to compensate the loss of market share due to a fourth operator.

As per him, prices were already declining before Iliad entered the mobile market purely on the idea a fourth player will come. Iliad had 4.52 million subscribers for its triple-play services of TV, fixed-line telephone and Internet at the end of September.

Lombardini declined to comment on how the fourth quarter was progressing, or give details of a new product planned by the company. There will be this new innovation that we consider is a revolution, they are confident it will give them more market share.