Paris, 8 July 2005
Over the past several months, ARCEP has been drawing up the procedure to deliver new authorisations for the use of 3.4-3.6 GHz frequencies, in order to enable the development of wireless local loop networks. These authorisations might enable the development of networks based on Wimax technology.
This preparation has allowed ARCEP to identify more frequencies, and to fully integrate into the procedure the consequences of the new powers of local governments regardint telecommunications.
On the 7th of July 2005, ARCEP adopted two decisions proposing to the Minister of Industry a procedure for the delivery of wireless local loop authorisations.
This procedure, approved by the Commission Consultative des Radiocommunications on the 1st of July, will allow the delivery of two new authorisations in the 3.4-3.6 GHz band.
- The principles of the procedure submitted to the Minister
The procedure proposed by ARCEP’s will start with a preparatory phase, during which the candidates will submit letters of intent and prepare their application. During this stage, interested parties will examine the possibilities of sharing frequencies with other operators. Upon completion of this phase, ARCEP will review the applications in order to assess whether the total demand of frequencies matches the quantity of available frequencies on a regional basis.
In regions where it matches, ARCEP will issue authorisations for the use of frequencies on a "first come first served" basis. Authorisations may then be issued on a regional or infra-regional levels, i.e. for a single département or for several towns or cities.
In regions where the demand exceeds the available frequencies, a "beauty contest" selection will be held to allocate two regional authorisations. Candidates will be chosen based on three criteria: the contribution to regional development of high-speed services, the project’s ability to promote competition on the high-speed market, and the initial fee the candidate is ready to pay in addition to the annual frequency fee if the wireless local loop frequencies are attributed to him.
The procedure will be held independently in each of the 22 regions in Metropolitan France. Thus any given candidates may apply and be selected in several regions.
A similar procedure will be held in the overseas regions, where frequencies are still available in the 3.4-3.6 GHz band in Guyana, Mayotte and Saint-Pierre et Miquelon.
The Minister of Industry is now responsible for launching the procedure by publishing in the Journal Officiel the procedure proposed by ARCEP, that indicatesthe rules and timetable of the whole procedure.