Art launches a public consultation

Paris, 2 April 1999

The French telecommunications regulatory authority (ART) launched a public consultation today on the emergence of competition in the local telecommunications market.

The consultation, which will run for a two-month period, focuses in particular on local loop unbundling. Interested parties are invited to send their views and comments to ART, by Tuesday 1st June 1999.

The aim of the consultation is to stimulate a broad debate on the emergence of competition in the local telecommunications market in France. Competition at local level is vital, as the local loop is the direct link between operators and users. While cable TV and the wireless local loop offer promising alternatives to the incumbent's network, at present the local loop is still essentially under monopoly provision. The significance of this consultation is accentuated by the development of Internet services and broadband market growth forecasts.