ARCEP issues licences to SFR and Orange France

Paris, 8 June 2010.

After Free Mobile had been awarded the fourth 3G mobile telephony licence on 12 January 2010, there remained a 5 MHz block of spectrum and a 4.8 MHz block of spectrum still available in the 2.1 GHz frequency band.

Through its Decision No. 2010-0581 of 18 May 2010, ARCEP selected the best applications for each of the two blocks: the one submitted by SFR for the 5 MHz block and the one submitted by Orange France for the 4.8 MHz block.

Today, ARCEP brings this procedure to a close by issuing SFR, through Decision No. 2010-0633, and Orange France, through Decision No. 2010-0634, a licence to use these frequencies to establish and operate a third generation radiocommunication network in Metropolitan France, under the terms and conditions stipulated by the call for applications.

Among other things, the terms of these licences include the commitments to host MVNOs that SFR and Orange France made in their applications, which will apply to the entirety of both operators' mobile network in the different frequency bands that they are licensed to employ (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2.1 GHz).

The next spectrum allocation procedures, which will concern the 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz frequency bands for the deployment of ultra high-speed mobile networks, will be launched before the end of 2010.