The French government has announced it will award 700 MHz licences, currently being used for broadcast television, to mobile operators in December 2015.
France reportedly hopes the auction will enable it to raise about €2bn (US$2.5bn).
In a statement…
The French government has announced it will award 700 MHz licences, currently being used for broadcast television, to mobile operators in December 2015.
France reportedly hopes the auction will enable it to raise about €2bn (US$2.5bn).
In a statement yesterday, the office of Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the transfer of the mobile licences will take place between 1 October 2017 and 30 June 2019.
The country’s four wireless players – incumbent Orange, SFR-Numericable, Bouygues Telecom and Iliad’s Free – are expected to take part in the auction. Iliad will reportedly be the most eager bidder as it holds less spectrum than its competitors, having entered the mobile market in 2012.
During the latest 4G auction in 2012, the four operators bought frequencies in the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz bands for a combined €3.5bn.
