France raises US$ 3.45 billion in 4G mobile licence auction (Europe)
Mobile operators Bouygues Telecom, Orange France and SFR were successful in winning 4G mobile licences in the 800 MHz band. According to reports, the Government of France was able to raise US$ 3.45 billion through this second round of auction.
The country’s telecommunications regulatory authority, ARCEP, is hopeful that these licences will help improve the competition in the wireless industry. Sources claim that both Orange and Bouyges Telecom were awarded one frequency block each for US$ 1.16 billion and 890.3 million respectively. SFR was the only operator successful in acquiring two frequency blocks for US$ 1.4 billion.
Telecom operator Free Mobile was unable to acquire a licence, but reports reveal that the operator will be able to offer services on SFR’s network under certain conditions.
Orange France upgrades network for business consumers (France)
Mobile operator Orange France has reportedly upgraded its mobile network enabling speeds up to 42 Mbps in nine cities. According to reports, the operator claims that its coverage area includes the regions of Paris, Grenoble, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseile, Nantes, Nice and Toulon. Further, sources claim that the operator hopes to increase its population coverage from 50 percent to 60 percent by providing Bordeaux, Toulouse and Strasbourg with the upgraded network by 2013.
As per reports, the operator’s Business Everywhere Premier subscribers would automatically be upgraded to the faster download speeds, with the upload speed being increased to 5.8 Mbps. Further, the Business Everywhere customers who currently have access to a download speed of 14.4 Mbps and an upload speed of 2 Mbps will be required to pay an additional charge of US$ 5.3 per month to gain access to the upgraded service.
ZTE sold 2 mn phones in 2010 (France)
ZTE reportedly sold 2 million handsets in France 2010, doubling its year-earlier volume, and is expected to sell 3 million units this year.
The company currently has a slightly over 5% share of the French mobile phone market. It sells the Link and Blade smartphones and 3G dongles through mobile operator Bouygues Telecom, while the two bigger mobile networks, Orange France and SFR, put their own brands on ZTE-manufactured devices.
ZTE is also going to launch new smartphones in May and a light 3G tablet after the summer. Orange is also testing a new customer box from ZTE. The Chinese company would like to develop its network equipment business in Europe, where its rival Huawei has succeeded in gaining a foothold.
ZTE, which does provide network equipment to France Telecom, but only for overseas territories, has two research centres in Europe. One in Paris works on value added services and one in Stockholm focuses on radio access technologies. ZTE has signed 15 LTE contracts around the world and its regional director for Western Europe, Lin Cheng, anticipates the China’s TDD technology will spread in Europe for LTE, notably because it can support more mobile traffic than FDD at the same cost.
Orange France launches Net Plus plans
Orange has organized a flash sale during from March 24 to March 26.. During these three days, the company will receive any subscription special discount for 6 months. It will promote the subscription of its “Net Plus”, “Net Plus Cle 3G+” and “Net Plus Musique” services.
Net Plus, promoted at US$28.06 a month for the first six months, before rising to its standard price of US$52.17 a month for the rest of the one-year contract, includes up to 20 Mbps internet, TV, unlimited calls to fixed phones in France and over 100 international destinations, and 1 hour of calls to French mobile numbers.
Net Plus Cle 3G+, promoted at US$28.06 a month for the first two months and US$25.11 for the next four months before rising to the standard price of US$59.22, offers the same services as Net Plus as well as a 3G+ dongle for US$1.4 and 2 hours of mobile internet use. Net Plus Musique, which costs the same as Net Pus Cle 3G+, includes access to the Deezer Premium music streaming service.
ARCEP releases accuracy audit of GSM coverage maps (France)
French telecommunications regulator ARCEP has released the results of its 2010 audits to verify the accuracy of GSM coverage maps published by mobile network operators Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom.
Field surveys have been used each year since operators began publishing coverage maps in 2007. Arcep found a 98% level of accuracy in last year’s maps and explained that 100% accuracy is very difficult to achieve, notably due to uncontrollable variations in radio propagation. Last year the figure was 96%.
The tests require an at least 95% success rate in making and maintaining a call from a fixed position with a standard handset for 1 minute.
The regulator found that although the reliability of the maps is generally good at the national level, it still needs to be improved in certain municipalities, and has reminded operators of the need to correct the published maps. Audits to be performed in by the end of October will include 286 new municipalities.
M6 Mobile registers 1.9 million subscribers (France)
French mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) M6 Mobile, which operates under a licensing agreement with Orange France, M D Ronan Dubois has announced that it has signed up a total of 1.9 million subscribers.
According to reports, a vast proportion of M6 Mobile’s customers currently opt for capped plans starting at US$25.92 per month, which does not allow for high-end smartphones to be subsidized at the same level as by mobile network operators.
Orange France hit by SMS bug on New Year’s Eve
Several hundred subscribers to Orange France were reportedly hit by a software bug at the network which resulted in their New Year’s Eve SMS and MMS’s being delivered multiple times.
Some customers reported that recipients had complained of receiving up to 130 messages from the same sender.
Orange France blamed a network operator failure for the bug, saying it affected only a few hundred people. Customers complained that the problem had led to them being charged hundreds of Euros extra; although the company has confirmed that the senders would not be charged for the multiple deliveries.
FRANCE TELECOM: successfully closes its EUR 1 billion bonds tender offer and issues a 10-year bond for EUR 750 million
France Telecom successfully closes its EUR 1 billion bonds tender offer and issues a 10-year bond for EUR 750 million
The tender offer for bonds launched by France Telecom closed on 18 November with EUR 1.963 billion of orders received representing a high hit rate of 36% of the total targeted bonds (4.625% January 2012, 4.375% February 2012 and 7.25% January 2013).
In line with its initial objective, France Telecom has limited the amount of bonds bought back to EUR 1 billion (EUR 160 million due January 2012, EUR 416 million due February 2012 and EUR 424 million due January 2013).
Moreover, France Telecom has finalised the refinancing of this EUR 1 billion tender with the placement today of a EUR 750 million 10-year bond. This placement followed that of 16 November of a GBP 250 million 40-year bond swapped into EUR at 4.46%.
The conditions for this placement are as follows:
Currency Format Term Notional Coupon Re-offer spread
EUR Fixed rate January 2021 750 million 3.875 % m/s + 85 bp
This tender offer and the two new placements were carried out in line with the liability management strategy initiated by the Group one year ago with, in particular, the early redemption in September 2010 through a make-whole call of its 7.75%-USD bonds, which were due to reach maturity in March 2011. In total, this debt optimization strategy represents a volume of more than EUR 5 billion of bonds as of today and allows the Group to continue to take advantage of very low interest rates while extending its average debt maturity, which has now been increased by 0.6 years.
BNP Paribas, Cr©dit Suisse and Soci©t© G©n©rale acted as bookrunners of the EUR bond issue while BNP Paribas and Soci©t© G©n©rale acted as dealer managers of the tender offer.
About France Telecom
France Telecom, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, had total sales of 44.8 billion euros in 2009 (33.7 billion euros for the first nine months of 2010). At 30 September 2010, the Group had a customer base of 203 million customers in 32 countries. Orange, the Group’s single brand for internet, television and mobile services in the majority of countries where the company operates, now covers over 131 million customers. At 30 September 2010, the Group had 144.5 million mobile customers and 13.3 million broadband internet (ADSL, FTTH) customers worldwide. Orange is one of the main European operators for mobile and broadband internet services and, under the brand Orange Business Services, is one of the world leaders in providing telecommunication services to multinational companies.
With its industrial project, “conquests 2015″, Orange is simultaneously addressing its employees, customers and shareholders, as well as the society in which the company operates, through a concrete set of action plans. These commitments are expressed through a new vision of human resources for employees; through the deployment of a network infrastructure upon which the Group will build its future growth; through the Group’s ambition to offer a superior customer experience thanks in particular to improved quality of service; and through the acceleration of international development
France Telecom (NYSE:FTE) is listed on Euronext Paris (compartment A) and on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information (on the internet and on your mobile): www.orange.com, www.orange-business.com, www.orange-innovation.tv
Orange and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trade marks of Orange Brand Services Limited, Orange France or France Telecom.
French ISPs face difficult time
The French court has ordered Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block the access to all the unauthorized poker and gambling websites.
This unsympathetic step was taken by regulator Arjel against Orange France, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, Free, Numericable, Auchan Telecom and Darty who were ordered to block consumer’s access to sites including British bookmakers and poker site operators Betfred and StanJames.
The ISPs argued that it is very difficult to block access to the sites as it can lead to websites moving elsewhere, slowing of the network, and blocking of legal sites but Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris came in favor of the regulator, which creates a possibility that ISPs could face a huge amount of fine of around $12,813 for each day of non-compliance.
Giving full support to Right2bet organization, the gaming industry opposed the move. According to the industry, the rule is another shock for the French consumers who are still fuming at the inability of the current legislation to provide them with an open and fully competitive gambling market.
Orange France upgrades internet offers
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The internet offers of Orange France have been announced to be upgraded by the telco on June 10 under the name of ‘La Fibre’. The offer will cost EUR 34.90 per month and it includes unlimited telephony to fixed phones in mainland France. However, premium numbers, overseas department, some overseas territories and over 100 destinations are excluded.
Some of the other features of the offer are- 1 hour of calls to mobiles in metropolitan France, up to 100 Mbps downstream internet speeds, and Orange TV, with over 100 channels, including 10 in HD and now 3D. ‘La Fibre Plus’ causing an additional EUR 10 per month will offer simultaneous calls, the gigamail function and 16 extra channels.
Services will also be offered and prices will be reduced on Orange’s ADSL triple-play subscriptions.
‘Net Plus’ plans will allow customers to make unlimited calls to fixed numbers in mainland France (excluding premium numbers), overseas departments, some overseas territories and over 100 international destinations, plus 1 hour of calls to mobiles in mainland France, up to 20 Mbps internet access and Orange TV, with up to 100 channels in the basic package
