French Operators Authorised to Offer 3G at 900Mhz

French Operators Authorised to Offer 3G at 900Mhz

French telecoms regulator, Arcep has approved applications by Orange and SFR to offer 3G services in the 900Mhz. Third 3G license holder, Bouygues Telecom says that it will apply for an amendment to its license to reuse its 900Mhz spectrum in 2009.

ARCEP is implementing the directions it adopted on 5 July 2007 for the reuse of the 900 and 1800 MHz bands for 3G. These directions planned that 2G-3G operators wishing to do so would be allowed to reuse the 900 MHz band for 3G in 2008, and that a 3G new entrant authorised in the 2.1 GHz band would be given access to a UMTS channel in the 900 MHz band.

3G coverage is now relatively extensive in Metropolitan France: SFR reports covering over 70% of the population and Orange France should reach this degree of coverage by the end of 2008. To extend coverage even further, it is indispensable that the frequencies in the 900 MHz band, which are currently used for 2G, be reused. These frequencies have better propagation properties and penetrate better inside buildings than frequencies in the 2.1 GHz band in which 3G currently operates.

Starting in 2008, 900 MHz frequencies will be progressively reused for 3G thanks to the future availability of equipments. This switchover will have to be done transparently for GSM, which will have to continue to serve French customers and foreign visitors with the same quality of service for many years to come.

The deployment in the 900 MHz band will make it possible to extend the UMTS coverage by reusing the sites which are currently used for GSM, including sites which were deployed as part of the "white zones" programme to complete the GSM coverage of the territory.

ARCEP will closely monitor the third coverage deadline written in the mobile operators' 3G licences

Now that UMTS has picked up steam and that the possibility of reusing 900 MHz frequencies has become available, operators must respect the deployment obligations stipulated by their 3G licences. SFR and Orange France's third coverage deadline, which arrives on 21 August 2009, requires coverage of 99.3% and 98% of the population, respectively. ARCEP will closely monitor these deployment obligations.

ARCEP is also closely watching Bouygues Telecom's deployment. The third coverage deadline stipulated by Bouygues Telecom's 3G licence is in December 2010 and corresponds to 75% of the population.

The process includes the possibility of a fourth 3G operator having access to the 900 MHz band

In order to ensure that the reuse of 900 MHz frequencies for 3G does not affect future decisions concerning the fourth 3G licence, ARCEP is now adding to the operators' licence a conditional, time-limited measure describing the means of returning frequencies which would apply if a new 3G entrant were authorised.