www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Jean-Ludovic Silicani, head of the French telecoms regulator Arcep, reportedly said that the country’s fourth and final 3G mobile licence will most likely be awarded in January 2010 and that ‘at least two candidates’ are expected to be in the running. Arcep official said, Now that the [licence fee] amount has been clarified, we should be able to launch the tender before end-July for a licence award in January 2010.’
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Arcep is reportedly supporting incumbent operator France Telecom (FT), saying its wholesale access rates do not need to come down. The contenders namely Bouygues Telecom, Iliad (Free) and Vivendi’s SFR (including neuf Cegetel) argued that FT’s wholesale rates, including those for local loop unbundling, are too high and ought to be ‘compensated for a surcharge’ – something Arcep also dismissed.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Arcep, Telecommunications regulator of France, has opened a public consultation until 30 June on lower mobile voice termination rates to be charged in the country’s overseas territories in 2010. Presently, the dominant operators Orange Caraibe charge EUR 0.087 and SRR charge EUR 0.085. The regulatorintends to slash the rates from EUR 0.087 and EUR 0.085 to EUR 0.055. Arcep also plans to impose a maximum rate of EUR 0.12 for Dauphin Telecom, EUR 0.065 for Digicel, EUR 0.07 for Orange Reunion, EUR 0.10 for Outremer Telecom in Guadeloupe, French Guiana and Martinique, and EUR 0.11 in Reunion and Mayotte, and EUR 0.12 for UTS Caraibe.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Arcep, telecommunication regulator of France has asked 3G network operators, Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom, to reach a framework agreement by 31 December on sharing their installations and to propose geographic areas where sharing can occur by 15 June. These areas must entail those featured in a 2003 national plan to extend GSM coverage. Operators must also consider the possibility of sharing 3G installations in zones where 2G services are not available. The framework agreement must foresee the possible entry of a new 3G network operator on equitable terms.
www.WirelessFederation.com/news: Arcep, the French telecoms watchdog publishes the results of the 2008 survey it conducted on the reliability of GSM coverage maps provided by the mobile operators Orange France, SFR and Bouygues Telecom. The regulator’s audit has reported that the maps are accurate and consistent with more than 96.5% of measurements made in the field. The reliability is considered to be good at national level, but needs to be improved in certain areas. In regards to these areas, Arcep requests operators to revise the maps for 2009. The watchdog has also set out in its decision No 2009-0200 (dated 10 March 2009), a new list of 251 townships to be audited by operators in the 2009. The investigation should be completed by late October 2009, with results made available in early 2010.
Arcep has proposed the govt that it will begin the process of awarding the country’s fourth and final 3G licence in June this year. According to its president, Jean-Claude Mallet, the decree formalising the procedure should be published at the end of March. A lot of 1×5MHz will cost EUR206 million (USD259 million), he said. The terms and conditions for awarding bids for the two remaining frequency lots will be published before the end of June.
Arcep, the French regulator, reported a subscriber base of 58 million in France. According to the statistics, mobile penetration rate has grown to 91% from 88%. MVNO experience a rise of 5% in subscriber base.
According to a report, there were 58.073 million registered SIMs in the country as at 31 December 2008, a penetration rate of 91.3%, up from 87.6% a year earlier. Out of the total, 2.896 million were signed up to one of the country’s MVNOs, equivalent to a market share of 5.19%. In overseas markets (DOM), Arcep said that Saint-Martin, Saint-Barthelemy, Mayotte, Saint Pierre et Miquelon posted a total of 2.281 million subscribers at the same date, up from 2.088 million at 31 December 2007.
Orange, France’s largest mobile operator has reportedly lost the exclusivity of iPhone 3G in France. The report came after a Paris appeals court said in a ruling that the French incumbent will have to surrender its exclusive rights to sell iPhone 3G in France.
The new ruling has opened the doors for the other incumbents, Vivendi and Bouygues Telecom, can now begin selling the iPhone 3G in the French mobile market.
It was Bouygues Telecom, which had in September 2008 filed a lawsuit against Orange, alleging that the latter had violated the anti-trust competition laws.
Orange, which asserted Arcep has eventually “put the market economy into question” and surprised over the collapse of its ruling.
Wireless Mobile Telecom Wireless News
