Paris (AFP)
As expected, the four major French operators have submitted an application for the allocation of 5G frequencies in France, announced Wednesday the Telecom Regulatory Authority (Arcep) in a statement.
Bouygues Telecom, Free, Orange and SFR are indeed the only candidates for the allocation of the frequency known as 3.5 GigaHertz (GHz) whose allocation must take place before the summer and will allow operators to begin the deployment of 5G by the end of the year in at least two cities.
"Arcep will now examine the application files. In this context, it will ensure that they comply with the admissibility criteria and will decide on the list of qualified candidates for the block allocation phase," said the Authority. regulation in its press release.
The allocation will be in two phases, with the allocation of blocks of 50 MegaHertz (MHz) per operator at a fixed price of 350 million euros per block, followed by an auction system for the remaining 110 MHz. , by 10 MHz band and for a minimum amount of 70 million euros per band.
The State hopes to draw from the allocation operator at least 2.17 billion euros, but the amount could ultimately be much higher, depending on the intensity of the auction phase.
The allocation of frequencies essential to the deployment of 5G will be accompanied by a certain number of obligations for the operators selected, in particular in terms of quality of coverage and development of associated services.
Arcep and the government are facing growing dissatisfaction from different fronts since the launch of the allocation procedure in mid-December.
On the operator side, we are particularly worried about network security rules which could lead to an outright ban on the use of equipment manufactured by the Chinese giant Huawei, which notably partially equips 4G and SFR and Bouygues mobile networks. Telecom.
During the presentation of his group's results on February 20, Martin Bouygues had notably warned that he would ensure that "fair competition will be preserved if equipment from Huawei is banned.
The CEO of Orange, Stéphane Richard, for his part estimated that the approach of the public authorities concerning the security of future 5G networks was "contemptuous of operators", concerning the Huawei file, which is however not a supplier to the incumbent operator in France.
Several appeals have also been filed against the decree organizing the allocation procedure, notably with the Council of State, by associations worried about a potential impact of 5G, both on health and on the environment.
© 2020 AFP