French gov trousers hefty wad in 4G spectrum sale

Please check your facts before going to print.

"So the only people likely to bid for the bands are the incumbent players ..."

"In France the four incumbents will have to bid again ..."

Free Mobile is an incumbent then is it?

Please note that Free is not very Mobile at the moment, having neither a GSM network of it's own, nor a license as MVNO. Free Mobile simply does not exist.

This "incumbent" is a triple-play DSL provider who has no experience as a mobile phone operator. Yes, they run a VoIP network as part of their triple-play offer, but other than that can not be considered an incumbent by any measure.

"... the end result is so similar to the status quo."

The real story here is precisely that a new player has joined the mobile telephony game and that the status quo will change. Dramatically actually.

Monthly subscriptions fees are expected to start at around 6 Euros for 2H of talk and up to 20 Euros per month for "all you can eat". Those more familiar with the French market will agree that these prices are *very* low indeed.

Sorry ElReg, you're completely off the mark here.

(note how the Read More tag "Free Mobile" does not show anything relevant to Iliad)

See also (in French, sorry):

http://www.pcinpact.com/actu/news/64078-free-mobile-offres-octobre-miracle.htm

or:

http://www.universfreebox.com/article15000.html