Arcep, the telecoms regulator, announced it has awarded Free Mobile (Iliad) frequencies in the 1800 MHz band returned by Bouygues Telecom, as part of a re-balancing between operators.
Free, last operator arrived in the mobile phone market, and retrieves additional frequencies, it should use for 4G, he confirmed to AFP. The operator gets initially 5MHz and should recover eventually total 15 MHz in this band when he was not present, unlike Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR, according to a press ARCEP. The 1800 MHz band, historically used for 2G telephony, has been put to use by Bouygues Telecom for 4G which allowed him to be advanced for the deployment of mobile broadband Internet by the end of 2013.
Bouygues Telecom had asked in March 2013 to use the 1800 MHz frequencies for 4G, which had been granted in exchange for a refund of part of the band for a rebalancing between operators. Orange and SFR in turn deployed 4G only on 800 and 2600 MHz bands and continue to use the 1800 MHz band for 2G. But the two operators will also return frequencies for Free, who will get thin in 15 MHz, while the three other operators retain 20 MHz.
Payment of a fee
Free will pay a fee for the use of these frequencies the amount of which may depend on a decision of the Council of State. According to information published by the site BFM Business this week, Bouygues Telecom is challenging in that instance the price paid for the use of this frequency 4G, or 64 million per year, which is almost 6 times more the 2G.
The State Council is expected to vote in the coming weeks on this tariff, while the rapporteur’s conclusions, generally followed, are in favor of Bouygues Telecom, according to BFM Business .
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