Two left in French 3G contest
- Added:
- Jan 31, 2001
The 4 licences are being offered at Eu4.95bn each. It is not yet clear how the French government will dispose of the remaining 2 licences, but the clear initial winner is Vodafone, which yet again has secured a 3G licence either alone or in partnership.
At the end of last week, the Vodafone-Verizon alliance emerged as the clear winner of the US licence auction, and it also now has licences in the main European markets of the UK, Germany and France, as well as others including Sweden.
Meanwhile, Swedish incumbent Telia has had its appeal for a stay of UMTS network rollouts in Sweden rejected by a court ruling. The appeal followed the national telecoms authority's decision not to award Telia one of the 4 Swedish 3G licences, awarded last month in a similar fashion as in France. It has since gained a foothold in the future 3G market, with an alliance with one of the winners, Netcom.