Paris has launched free Wi-Fi service during opening hours at 105 municipal buildings and parks. The service uses Alcatel-Lucent base stations and is run by SFR. It will be extended to 400 hotspots by September. The service required a EUR 2.5 million investment by the Ile-de-France region and municipal government, plus EUR 500,000 in annual operating costs. Orange recently launched legal action arguing that city hall should not intervene in the telecommunications market and that it cannot manage a public telecommunications network unless all operators are allowed to use it.
