France is planning to award 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz frequencies for the deployment of LTE technology before the end of the year, telecoms regulator ARCEP said.
The regulator is expected to launch the process in early May after it finalises the terms of the…
France is planning to award 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz frequencies for the deployment of LTE technology before the end of the year, telecoms regulator ARCEP said.
The regulator is expected to launch the process in early May after it finalises the terms of the auction with the government. France could raise E2bn from the auction.
The auction has been delayed by disagreements between ARCEP and the government over conditions. The regulator is keen to ensure that the country’s four mobile operators are able to bid for the spectrum.
For its part, the government seeks to raise as much money as possible from the auction while also ensuring a competitive mobile market.
Media reports suggested last week that mobile operators Vivendi’s SFR, Bouygues Telecom and Iliad’s Free Mobile were pressing the government to cap the amount of spectrum one operator will be able to buy with a view to preventing France Telecom, which has large financial resources, from buying most of the frequencies.