Paris, 7th November 2005 Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques et des postes (ARCEP) published today the figures for the third quarter 2005 in its Mobile Observatory, which has been renamed the Mobile Indicator Monitor (MIM).
New indicators
The MIM provides new data with respect to the Mobile Observatory:- number of MVNOs - number of customers not under commitment contract: customers not committed to a minimum contract duration as of 30 September - gross post-paid sales (flat rate): new contracts signed during the quarter; and the market share of MVNOs in gross post-paid sales - percentage of post-paid contracts terminated during the quarter
More new indicators will be added to the MIM during the coming months, in particular concerning pre-paid and business customers, and new services.
108 000 customers for MVNOs
During the quarter, 715 600 new customers were recorded by mobile operators (real or virtual), bringing the total number of customers in France to 46.1 million at 30 September 2005. This brings the penetration rate of mobile telephony to 76.4% of the population.
Active MVNOs (Transatel, Debitel, Omer Telecom, Neuf Cegetel, Tele2) had 108 300 customers at 30 September 2005, compared with 40 900 customers at 30 June 2005. With 0.24% of total numbers, MVNOs are now entering the Metropolitan market, after an operational implementation phase.
Mobile operators in Metropolitan France have also signed 1.6 million new post-paid contracts during the quarter, including 4.1% for MVNOs.
75 % of post-paid customers under commitment
At 30 September 2005, 21.4 million Metropolitan France customers were under commitment, representing 75% of post-paid customers. This means that just one-quarter of post-paid customers can switch operators without having to pay a penalty.
Moreover, 2.9% of post-paid contracts in Metropolitan France were terminated during the quarter.
These elements may reflect the market’s degree of fluidity, which is an important parameter for new players entering the market.
Linked documents
The Mobile Indictor Monitor is available to download (ppt - 117KB) 