Iliad to Journey into 3G

November 20, 2006 - source: BWCS

French ISP Iliad said today that it is definitely interested in bidding for the up-for-grabs fourth French 3G mobile licence. The national telecoms regulator, Arcep, indicated last month that it may put another 3G franchise up for sale, if there was sufficient interest. Now that Iliad has confirmed that it is keen, it is understood that Arcep will go ahead with the proposed sale.

A spokesman for Iliad, which is the second largest internet service provider in France behind France Telecom's Wanadoo service, stipulated that an expression of interest does not indicate a firm commitment to buy. Arcep will put the licence up for sale next year. In the meantime, Iliad has said it will continue with its WiMax network deployment. The company also said that any 3G infrastructure, it may need to build; will be rolled out alongside its WiMax network. Iliad said it is targeting a broadband subscriber base of over four million households by 2010.

French business daily Les Echos reported today that cable TV company Noos-Numericable has also expressed a definite interest in the proposed new 3G licence. The government is expected to set a price of around euros 620 million on the licence. France is currently served by three 3G companies: Orange, Bouygues Telecom and SFR, owned by Vivendi and Vodafone.