Government confirms plans to split 4th 3G licence into three parts.
SFR, Bouygues and France Telecom - the big three mobile operators in France - are bracing themselves for some competition.Reuters reports that the government has decided to break a planned fourth 3G mobile telecoms licence into three lots of five MHz, with one reserved for a new operator.
This is instead of the single 15MHz licence that was originally proposed.
The new UMTS licenses are expected to be awarded by the summer following the launch of a tender process next month.
One of the early front-runners for the new slot is Illiad, the country's second largest triple play ISP. The company failed in its bid to secure a 15Mhz license at the last auction in 2007.
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