Paris (AFP)
"5G should not be scary", pleaded Tuesday the boss of the operator Free, Xavier Niel, before the deputies, while the new generation of mobile network will become a reality in France in a context of mistrust on the part of certain local elected officials.
"5G should not be scary. It is a great opportunity to build a more sober, more efficient society, with improved city management," said Mr. Niel, founder and boss of Iliad, the house- mother of Free, before the Economic Affairs Committee of the National Assembly.
After having released 602 million euros to seize "blocks" auctioned in early October, Free will theoretically be able to enjoy its 5G frequencies from Wednesday, according to the schedule announced by the telecoms regulator.
However, 5G continues to worry part of the public, wary of the health and environmental effects of electromagnetic waves.
Several green or left-wing mayors of large cities, notably in Lille, have already declared themselves in favor of a moratorium until the publication scheduled for spring 2021 of a report from the National Health Security Agency (Anses).
"It would be a shame in France to have the best fixed networks, with the fastest fiber offers in Europe, and to be the last European on mobile by refusing the 5G market," pleaded Xavier Niel who comes to achieve solid financial results with Iliad in the third quarter.
"It is also an image, a perception of France, beyond our borders, which could make us lose (...) a part of our attractiveness", whereas the country "had become a main destination for investors "before the Covid-19 crisis," he added.
- "Prohibit" the subsidy of terminals -
"I think it is extremely important not to lose points because of subjects like 5G", he added again.
Only Orange and Bouygues Telecom have so far communicated their 5G commercial offers to the general public, Free evoking a launch in "the coming weeks".
The founder of Iliad also confirmed that negotiations would take place between Orange and Free for a 5G network sharing agreement, especially "in relatively low density areas".
"Pooling is important to face investments, limit the environmental impact of deployment, and to accelerate rural coverage (in territory)", he explained.
Regarding the model of subsidizing terminals via a mobile subscription, Xavier Niel called for "prohibiting" the practice or "forcing" operators "to be more transparent" because this "is opaque" for subscribers and "harmful for the environment".
The objective of such measures would "extend", according to him, "the duration of use of smartphones" which represent about 70% of the environmental impact of digital technology in France.
© 2020 AFP