Paris (AFP)

France has officially launched on Monday its 5G frequency allocation procedure for telecom operators, hoping for a first commercial deployment in some major French cities by the end of 2020 and coverage of two-thirds of the population by 2026.

Deploying 5G, which will deliver vast amounts of data much more quickly than today's mobile phones, is considered the next big telecom challenge in the world.

It must allow the development of futuristic technologies, such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles or automated factories.

While several European countries have already allocated their frequencies, France launched Monday with the publication by the regulator of telecommunications, Arcep, the procedure that will be followed.

France "is not in the first" in Europe to allocate its frequencies, but it "is not late," assured the president of Arcep, Sebastien Soriano, to the press.

The transfer procedure will be hybrid, combining fixed price sales for a first set of frequencies and auction for a second set.

Telecom operators will have until September 4 to give their opinion on the modalities retained by the Arcep and the government.

In the fall, the government will set the prices and the auctions and auctions will be held in the wake so that the award process can be legally completed in early 2020.

The proceeds from the transfer of frequencies - for 15 years, renewable for 5 years - should amount to one billion euros.

In Germany, the government organized a bidding system that yielded 6.5 billion euros, while experts were betting on a figure of between 3 and 5 billion.

However, specialists do not expect the operation to earn as much in France.

- Gradual increase in power -

According to the 5G deployment scheme presented by Arcep, each operator should offer a 5G offer in two French cities before the end of 2020.

The ramp up would be gradual, so that by the end of 2025, each operator has equipped 12,000 sites in 5G, a coverage of about two thirds of the population.

Of these 12,000 sites, some (20-25%) will have to be in less densely populated areas, for example to serve industrial areas and small town activity areas where SMEs are in need of 5G.

For the remaining zones, the operators will be obliged to offer a "type 5G" service of 240 megabits per second, which represents 4 times the speed of a current 4G service.

The whole territory will be covered, either in 5G or in "type 5G", at the end of 2030, according to the document put in consultation by Arcep.

The Arcep also provides for the motorways to be equipped with a "equivalent 5G" flow at the end of 2025, the deadline being extended at the end of 2027 for the main roads.

Some operators have started deploying 5G in Europe. It is thus available to users in Monaco and San Marino, and is starting to be available in Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, and the United Kingdom.

At the global level, South Korea announced in early April the coverage of its entire territory by its three national operators.

In China, operator China Mobile has announced that it will cover this year 40 cities in 5G. The American operator Verizon covers Minneapolis and Chicago since April.

However, few smartphone manufacturers currently have devices compatible with the new networks.

The frequency band involved is that of 3.4 / 3.8 GHz which aims primarily urban and economic areas, offering the best compromise between penetration in buildings, range and flow.

Other bands (700 MHz and 26 GHz) may be used by operators for more specific needs.

© 2019 AFP